It appears that Donald Trump’s worst nightmare has come true, with Barack Obama reportedly weighing in on the political scenario. The former president has gone public with his support for a Democratic effort to redistrict four House seats in Virginia ahead of the midterm elections in November. The new map will grant Democrats more control of the state’s congressional delegation by giving them additional seats.
Obama’s move followed the Supreme Court’s decision to proceed with the April 21 election in the state. Voters will get to decide on a referendum that would allow the General Assembly to redraw congressional districts before the midterm elections.
Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. But right now, they’re under attack.
Several Republican-controlled states have redrawn their congressional maps to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterm elections.
Now Virginia has a chance to help level… pic.twitter.com/CDgaH5sumc
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 5, 2026
Barack Obama’s effort to support redistricting in Virginia is a strong response to the mid-decade Republican effort to redraw congressional districts in states like Texas. Democrats believe that this effort could influnce the midterm elections. The mid-decade redistricting battle began when Trump led an effort to secure more seats for Republicans last year.
A similar ruse saw Trump shoot himself in the foot when it resulted in California passing Prop 50, which the Supreme Court recently cleared the way to be implemented.
The Democrat-proposed map aims to redraw Republican-held seats, largely by pulling districts from the Democratic suburbs around Washington, D.C. If the effort is successful, Democrats, who already control the state legislature in Virginia, could end up controlling 10 of the 11 House seats in the state.
In a video endorsement, Barack Obama urged Virginians to assert their support against the “aggressive redistricting moves” by the Republicans. He said that “it is the responsible thing to do” and that it’s only a “temporary measure.”
Former President Barack Obama is calling on voters in Virginia to support a ballot measure this spring that would change the commonwealth’s constitution and cause new congressional district boundaries benefiting Democrats to be used in this fall’s midterm elections.…
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) March 5, 2026
He stated, “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. But right now, they are under threat. Over the past year, several Republican-controlled states have taken the unprecedented step of redrawing their congressional maps in the middle of the decade. And they have done it for a simple reason: to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms this fall.”
He added, “Virginians can respond by making sure your voting power is not diminished by what Republicans are doing in other states. This amendment gives you the power to level the playing field in the midterms this fall. And voters will have the final say over what the maps look like.”
Barack Obama closed his speech by stating, “After the 2030 Census, Virginia will go back to a system that lets a bipartisan redistricting redraw the maps.”
