Virginia Democrats use NoVa to their advantage in redistricting
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Virginia Democrats have released a congressional map proposal that could deliver them all but one of the state's 11 House districts in this year's midterms.
Why it matters: They want to use Northern Virginia and metropolitan Richmond to do it.
Zoom in: Under the proposed map, Democrats would squeeze more power out of NoVa by splitting heavily blue areas across multiple districts, pairing them with more moderate areas around Fredericksburg and exurban Richmond.
- Democrats would also break up heavily Democratic Richmond, giving some of those voters to more conservative parts of the state.
Between the lines: Republicans currently hold five of Virginia's 11 House districts.
The other side: Virginia Republicans have been quick to slam the Democrats' plan, repeatedly calling it extreme, illegal and hyperpartisan.
- Last week, a Virginia appeals court asked the state Supreme Court to take up a case trying to block the redistricting attempt.
What's next: If the Democrats manage to overcome the legal challenge, Virginians will vote April 21 on whether to let lawmakers redraw the map.
The big picture: A tit-for-tat gerrymandering war is taking place nationwide as Republican states try to redraw their maps to get more House seats.