How a Trash-Talking, Meme-Posting Great-Grandmother Pulled Virginia Into a Fight That Could Define the Midterms

April 13, 2026

L. Louise Lucas, an 82-year-old Virginia state senator and president pro tempore, spearheaded an aggressive Democratic gerrymander that could give her party 10 of Virginia's 11 congressional seats in the 2026 elections, up from the current 6-5 Democratic advantage. Despite resistance from fellow Democrats who preferred a more moderate approach and concerns from Governor Abigail Spanberger's team, Lucas leveraged her powerful position as chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to push the extreme 10-1 map onto the April 21 referendum ballot.

Who is affected

L. Louise Lucas (Virginia Senate president pro tempore and Finance and Appropriations Committee chair)
Speaker Don Scott (Virginia House counterpart and Lucas ally)
Virginia Democratic Party establishment members
Governor Abigail Spanberger and her staff
Virginia's two Democratic US senators
Republican US Rep. Rob Wittman (whose Armed Services Committee chairmanship aspirations could be threatened)
Republican US Rep. Ben Cline (whose Shenandoah Valley district would be splintered)
Four Republican congressional seat holders whose districts could flip
Virginia voters
President Donald Trump and his legislative agenda
Former Governor Glenn Youngkin
Ben Tribbett (Lucas's political consultant)
Lisa Lucas-Burke (Lucas's daughter)
Residents of Portsmouth, Virginia
Rural Virginia residents whose districts would be redistricted
Texas Democrats who fled their state

What action is being taken

Lucas is pushing for voter approval of the 10-1 map in an April 21 referendum
Democrats are spending $33.6 million on the "yes" campaign for the map
Republican US Rep. Ben Cline is barnstorming the state to drum up the "no" vote
Republicans and opposition groups are spending $3.3 million against the map (as of Friday afternoon)
Virginians For Fair Maps received $5 million on the last day of March
House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to attend a fundraiser in Virginia later this week for the opposition effort
Governor Spanberger is urging Virginians to support the referendum

Why it matters

The Virginia redistricting battle could determine which party controls the US House in the November 2026 midterm elections. A Democratic-led House would be able to block President Trump's legislative agenda and open new investigations of him and his policies in the final two years of his presidency. The outcome represents a critical test of whether Democratic voters will support an aggressive partisan gerrymander after their party previously advocated for nonpartisan redistricting, and it reflects the broader national battle over redistricting as Trump pushes Republican-led states to redraw maps outside the normal once-a-decade cycle. The fight also exemplifies how power dynamics in state legislatures can shape national politics, with Lucas using her control of Virginia's appropriations process to advance a maximalist approach despite resistance from within her own party.

What's next

The April 21 referendum will determine whether voters approve the 10-1 map
If approved, the new map would be used for the November 2026 midterm elections
Lucas plans to apply for a license to sell recreational marijuana next year once legalization legislation allows it
Lisa Lucas-Burke is running for Portsmouth City Council this year
The Virginia legislature will return to Richmond to convene the 2026 legislative session

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint