Every once in a while, a Democrat politico will inadvertently say the quiet part out loud, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday when Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) appeared for an interview on Fox News.
One of the topics that came up, of course, was the gerrymander referendum, er, ballot measure before the state's voters that, if approved, would "amend Virginia’s constitution to give the Democratic-majority General Assembly temporary power to redraw the state’s congressional districts."
The proposed map, if enacted, would likely take the Commonwealth's congressional Democrats from a 6-5 advantage to a 10-1 advantage, netting them four seats in the 2026 midterms.
If you know anyone in Virginia, would you please kindly encourage them to vote 👉NO👈
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) March 11, 2026
to the redistricting referendum that would gerrymander the congressional map from 6🟦 - 5🟥 to 10🟦 - 1🟥?
You can literally vote RIGHT NOW — early voting is underway. pic.twitter.com/LJKbwY0AYB
Though early voting has ended, Tuesday is special election day, the last day Virginia voters can go to the polls to determine the fate of the referendum.
READ MORE: Virginia Democrats Just Engineered the Most Extreme Gerrymander in the Country
During the Fox News interview, anchor Shannon Bream reminded Kaine that in 2024, the state's voters were almost evenly divided in the presidential race, with Vice President Kamala Harris winning Virginia by 51.8 percent of the vote to Donald Trump's 46 percent.
Even with the state leaning left, it's still relatively split down the middle, Bream noted. "But 90 percent of House members from Virginia being from one party?" she asked of Kaine.
The Senator proceeded to admit that indeed, 90 percent of voters there were not Democrats but said that the gerrymander was needed to stop President Trump from allegedly trying to "interfere" in the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election:
"90 percent of Virginians aren't Democrats, that's true, but about 100 percent of Virginians want election results to be respected. We're deeply worried that Donald Trump will try to interfere with the election results this November or in 2028, cause we saw him do it before."
Fox: Why should 90% of Virginia's congressional delegation be Democrats when Kamala Harris only won the state by 5 points?
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 19, 2026
Kaine: "90% of Virginians are not Democrats. That's true... but we need a congressional delegation that will stand up to Donald Trump's tyranny." pic.twitter.com/U4BlavbvNg
So, it's... not about "fairness" after all?
🚨 Dem Sen. Tim Kaine openly confessed that the new Virginia Congressional map being voted on Tuesday gives Democrats 90% of the seats.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 19, 2026
Translation: We know this is rigged, unfair, and anti-democratic, but we’re doing it anyway because we hate Trump. pic.twitter.com/EO0nrLrkZt
Wait, this seems like a different argument than the “fairness” slop they enshrined in their insane ballot question wording. Is this about “fair” districts, or is it about illegitimately seizing power in order to “stand up to tyranny” or whatever? https://t.co/xKzIrzYFLV
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 19, 2026
Former Virginia AG Jason Miyares (R) summed it up this way:
Nothing says ‘defending democracy’ like rigging the map so 90% of seats go to the party that wins the state with 51% of the vote. Kaine’s logic is insulting to everyone like myself that supported nonpartisan redistricting. I did so even when my party was in power, but for Kaine doing the right thing is just situational ethics. Virginians aren’t stupid — vote NO and tell the Dems to stop [disenfranchising] Virginians.
In early April, one poll showed encouraging signs that voters were not as keen on the amendment as Virginia Democrats had hoped, with Republican voters seeming more motivated to go to the polls than Democrats:
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are showing more energy than their Democratic counterparts, with 85 percent of GOP voters saying they are certain to or have already voted, compared with 77 percent of Democrats.
[...]
But there is evidence that Virginia voters may feel differently. Just 34 percent of respondents said the state’s congressional districts should balance out recent changes in other states, compared with 57 percent who said the districts should “reflect the political makeup of the state.”
And 48 percent of respondents said a 10-1 map favoring Democrats would constitute unfair representation, compared with 44 percent of voters who said that would be a fair “representation of Virginians’ political preferences.”
This is also something to keep in mind: It hasn't been that long since Virginia voters voted in favor of non-partisan redistricting:
CHART OF THE DAY: In 2020, 65.7% of Virginia voters overwhelmingly voted to codify nonpartisan redistricting in our Constitution. The popular amendment won a majority vote in every Virginia locality but one. pic.twitter.com/zm4fEEoPyn
— 74th Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA74) October 24, 2025
We'll learn soon enough what the majority of those who cast their votes this time around decided. Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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