Virginia voters approved a congressional map on Tuesday that is likely to create four additional Democratic seats in Congress, handing the party a major win in the ongoing redistricting wars.

The victory also showed that the Democrats’ rank-and-file was willing to put aside cherished good-government principles to battle President Donald Trump, creating a gerrymandered map that includes 10 districts likely to elect a Democrat to the U.S. House and just one, located in the state’s conservative southwest, likely to back a Republican. The existing delegation consists of six Democrats and five Republicans.

The new maps would gerrymander the state to create 10 districts likely to elect a Democrat to the U.S. House and just one, located in the state’s conservative southwest, likely to back a Republican. The existing delegation consists of six Democrats and five Republicans.

With Democrats already favored to win control of the House in November, the victory in Virginia smooths their path and could enable the party to go after deeper-red territory elsewhere in the country.

“Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they pushed back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress,” Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) said in a statement after the vote was called. “As we watched other states go along with those demands without voter input, Virginians refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box.”

The referendum vote was heavily contested and drew huge spending — roughly $60 million from Democrats and $30 million from the GOP, almost all of it from groups that do not have to disclose their donors.

It was the latest round of mid-decade redistricting provoked by Trump’s push to have Republicans redraw lines to eliminate Democratic-held seats in red states, including Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and potentially Florida. Democrats have responded by drawing new maps in California and, now, Virginia.

The lead for “yes” was relatively narrow as of 10 p.m. on Tuesday, at 51.3% of the vote compared with 48.7% for a “no” vote against approving the maps, showing how Republicans managed to wake up their lethargic base.

The vote also revealed how many voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 ― she won the state by six percentage points ― were uncomfortable with Democrats’ move to maximize their power. These voters, however, turned out to be a relatively small minority, with many Democratic leaders cheering on their voters’ willingness to play hardball.

“Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement celebrating the victory. A nonprofit closely affiliated with Jeffries was the leading funder of the “yes” effort.

Depending on what happens in Florida, where GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to call a special session to draw a new map next week, Democrats could now come out ahead in the redistricting wars. The party looks set to gain as many as 10 seats, compared to a maximum of eight for the GOP.

“There was an assumption that in the face of these attacks from Texas and Missouri and North Carolina and elsewhere that Democrats and blue states would just roll over or not stand up and fight,” said Kelly Hall, the executive director of the Fairness Project, which supports liberal ballot measures and spent $12 million backing a “yes” vote. “The balance really has evened out thanks to Virginia and California.”

If there is a bright spot for the GOP, it was a comparatively strong turnout from their voters, who have otherwise been difficult to get to the polls since Trump won in 2024.

Virginians had previously approved a nonpartisan redistricting commission, which drew the existing map in 2020. The new referendum sidelines the commission until 2030.

The four new seats likely to elect Democrats already have crowded fields of candidates running in primaries: former Rep. Tom Perriello, state Del. Sam Rasoul and journalist Beth Macy could all run for the new 6th District, and the new 7th District is likely to see a battle between never-Trump Republican-turned-Democrat Olivia Troye, former Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe and state Del. Dan Helmer. Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor is the leading candidate to win the new 5th District.

There remains a small chance the courts could block the new map. Virginia’s Supreme Court allowed the vote to take place without ultimately ruling on its legality.

There is also a long-term risk in the new map. None of the seats voted for Harris by more than 10 percentage points, and many could be vulnerable in 2028 or 2030 if the political environment improves for the GOP.

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