Harris says Virginia SC ruling helps Trump allies ‘rig’ 2026 midterms: 'We are rightfully outraged'

WASHINGTON, DC: Repeating Democratic concerns over voting rights and congressional representation, Kamala Harris claimed a Virginia Supreme Court ruling helped President Donald Trump and his Republican allies “rig” the 2026 midterm elections after judges blocked a new congressional map from taking effect.

The court ruled 4-3 on Friday, May 8, that a redistricting referendum approved by Virginia voters last month failed to meet procedural standards required under state law.

The ruling halted a proposed congressional map that Democrats hoped would help them gain four additional seats in the US House of Representatives. The rejected map would have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage, while the current 6-5 map will remain in place for now.

Kamala Harris blasts Virginia Supreme Court over redistricting ruling

Following the decision, the former vice president took to X to argue that Democrats were justified in their outrage over the court’s ruling striking down the voter-backed congressional map.

“The Virginia Supreme Court ignored the will of the people and overturned those democratically chosen maps,” Harris wrote on X. “This ruling gives a boost to Donald Trump's effort to rig the 2026 elections and the Republicans' long game to attack voting rights."

“Last month in Virginia, the people made their voices heard at the ballot box and voted for new Congressional maps,” she added. “Today, the Virginia Supreme Court ignored the will of the people and overturned those democratically chosen maps.”

“We are rightfully outraged, but we will not give up. We must continue our fight to restore the power of the people,” Harris further stated.

Similar criticism came from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who argued Republicans could gain additional congressional seats through redistricting efforts across several states.

“Virginia’s voter-approved maps thrown out,” Newsom wrote on X. “MAGA has rigged the system.”

Newsom also claimed Republicans could potentially gain one congressional seat each in Tennessee and Missouri, along with two more in North Carolina, four in Florida, and five in Texas through future redistricting changes.

Trump and Republicans celebrate Virginia court victory

While Democrats condemned the ruling, Republicans praised the outcome as a win against partisan gerrymandering.

Trump celebrated the decision on social media, writing, “Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also welcomed the ruling in a post on X.

“The Virginia Supreme Court has affirmed what we believed from the beginning — the hastily drawn egregious gerrymander was unconstitutional,” Johnson wrote. “This ruling is a victory for democracy and ensures Virginians have fair representation in Congress.”

The Virginia ruling arrived just over a week after the US Supreme Court struck down a second Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana, declaring it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Trump and several Republicans praised that decision as well, increasing pressure on Southern states to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.