Virginia Democrats are running for House seats that don't exist yet
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Some Virginia Democrats are campaigning for congressional districts that don't exist yet.
Why it matters: The political landscape is only getting more confusing for Virginia voters, many of whom are already trying to keep up with how redistricting might change which district they live in.
The big picture: Virginia is less than a week into early voting for the redistricting referendum that would allow lawmakers to redraw Virginia's congressional map mid-decade.
- It would ultimately give Democrats a bigger advantage in November's midterm elections if voters approve it.
- They haven't yet since the final Election Day is April 21.
Yes, but: That hasn't stopped a flurry of Democratic candidates from announcing their intention to run in districts that may never exist.
The latest: Dorothy McAuliffe, the former first lady of Virginia and a Fairfax resident, announced Wednesday that she's running for the newly drawn 7th Congressional District.
- That's the lobster-shaped district that would pair the staunchly red Goochland and Powhatan counties with Arlington.
- Del. Dan Helmer, who represents Fairfax and helped push through the redistricting amendment in the Legislature, has also said he's vying for that not-yet-created seat.
- So has J.P. Cooney, a self-proclaimed "lifelong Arlington resident" and former federal prosecutor who helped investigate President Trump.
Then there's Eugene Vindman, a Prince William County native who currently represents the Fredericksburg-based 7th District. He said he'd run in the newly drawn 1st if voters approve the mid-decade redraw.
- That means another Northern Virginia resident could end up repping Ashland, Hanover, Short Pump and Midlo.
Zoom in: Other local candidates, like Henrico Commonwealth's attorney Shannon Taylor, have also signaled they'd pivot to different districts if the new map takes effect.
- Taylor is running against the Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the current 1st District, which represents parts of Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover counties and would essentially no longer exist under the new map.
- She's said she'd run in the newly drawn 5th District — which would have parts of Richmond, Chesterfield and Hanover and major portions of Western Henrico — if the maps are approved.
The intrigue: Statewide, campaigns are deciding where to hire staff, make ad buys, allocate resources and build voter outreach operations without knowing which voters they ultimately need to target, Virginia Scope reports.
- And there's still a chance that the Virginia Supreme Court decides to cancel a "yes" vote after the election has happened.
What they're saying: If that happens, Randolph Macon political science professor Richard Meagher told Virginia Scope that some candidates "may have wasted money and time campaigning for the wrong votes in the wrong place."