Former Vice President Kamala Harris accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of attempting to “rig the 2026 elections” after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a voter-approved redistricting referendum, escalating an already fierce national battle over congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections.
“Today, the Virginia Supreme Court ignored the will of the people and overturned those democratically chosen maps,” Harris wrote on X on May 8. “This ruling gives a boost to Donald Trump’s effort to rig the 2026 elections and the Republicans’ long game to attack voting rights.”
The court ruled that the process used to place the referendum before voters violated the Virginia Constitution, invalidating the measure despite its narrow approval by voters in November. In its decision, the court stated that “the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia,” adding that the violation “incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.”
The referendum had passed by a slim 51% to 49% margin and would have temporarily transferred redistricting authority from Virginia’s nonpartisan commission to the Democrat-controlled legislature through 2030. Democrats believed the change could help produce a congressional delegation heavily tilted in their favor.
Trump celebrated the ruling in a Truth Social post, calling it a “Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia.” He also described the rejected map as a “horrible gerrymander” pushed by Democrats.
Democrats swiftly condemned the decision. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin accused the court of putting “partisan politics over the will of the people.” Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said the ruling “silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots” and pledged to explore “every legal pathway forward.”
Harris, meanwhile, signaled she plans to remain politically engaged as speculation continues over her future and a possible 2028 presidential run. “We are rightfully outraged, but we will not give up,” she wrote. “We must continue our fight to restore the power of the people.
