Virginia Viewpoint: Redistricting, Reconvened Session, and a Budget Impasse

Over the course of three consecutive days last week, Virginia’s political and policy landscape shifted in meaningful ways — beginning with a redistricting referendum that was narrowly approved by voters, followed by the General Assembly returning to Richmond for its annual reconvened session, and culminating in a special session where a budget compromise has yet to materialize. All together, these developments highlight both the immediate policy tensions and longer-term political changes in the Commonwealth.

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Tuesday: “10-1” Redistricting Referendum Narrowly Approved

Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment on redistricting, with 51.64% (1,596,954 votes) in favor and 48.36% (1,495,555) opposed, with all votes reported.

The result is expected to significantly reshape the Commonwealth’s congressional delegation. While the current breakdown stands at six Democrats and five Republicans, the newly adopted map would likely produce a lopsided 10–1 Democratic advantage this November.

The underlying strategy consolidates Republican voters into a single Southwest Virginia district while dispersing Democratic voters — particularly from Northern Virginia — across multiple districts to strengthen Democratic performance statewide.

The redrawn lines substantially alter the political composition of several Republican-held seats:

• 1st District (Rep. Rob Wittman):Now includes portions of Prince William and Fairfax counties, shifting the district to a D+7 lean and placing it firmly in Democratic-leaning territory.
• 5th District (Rep. John McGuire):Loses many rural localities while gaining suburban Richmond areas (Henrico and Chesterfield), resulting in a projected D+10 advantage.
• 6th District (Rep. Ben Cline):Expanded to incorporate Fredericksburg and parts of the I-95 corridor, moving the district into a competitive range with a D+2 tilt.
• 2nd District (Rep. Jen Kiggans):The only district likely to remain competitive, shifting slightly toward Democrats (D+1) and setting up a closely contested race in Virginia Beach.

The revised map produces a heavily Democratic-leaning landscape overall. Most districts fall into the “Safe D” category, anchored by Northern Virginia and extended into surrounding regions. Meanwhile, the 9th District consolidates Republican voters into a single, reliably Republican seat.

Despite narrow voter approval, the redistricting plan faces unresolved legal questions before the Supreme Court of Virginia, which heard oral arguments from both sides of the issue on Monday:

• Authority of the General Assembly:Plaintiffs argue that adopting a mid-cycle redistricting plan outside the census process exceeds legislative authority and bypasses the 2020 Redistricting Commission framework.
• District Design Requirements:Opponents contend that the map violates constitutional standards and preservation of communities of interest.
• Potential Court Action:While the Supreme Court permitted the referendum to proceed, it could still invalidate the maps if it were to find the redistricting effort unconstitutional.

Wednesday: General Assembly Pushes Back on Governor’s Actions in Reconvened Session

The following day, the General Assembly reconvened to consider Governor Spanberger’s vetoes and amendments to legislation. While legislators accepted many of the governor’s recommendations, they rejected more than a dozen tied to several high-profile policy areas. Key areas of disagreement between the governor and House and Senate leadership included:

• Retail Cannabis:Legislators declined to consider the governor’s proposed changes to retail marijuana legislation, sending the bill back to her desk in its enrolled form and raising the possibility of a veto. Among other changes, the Governor’s recommendations proposed delaying the start date for retail sales to July 1, 2027 – six months after the legislature’s proposed start date of January 1.
• Collective Bargaining:Amendments impacting union-related legislation were set aside. The Governor’s amendments had proposed a four-year delay for collective bargaining to start.

Meanwhile, a bill to legalize skill games in the Commonwealth was vetoed by the governor, and the General Assembly did not move to override that veto — effectively halting the effort for this legislative cycle, though it is likely to resurface next year.

Under Virginia’s legislative process, rejecting a governor’s amendment returns the bill to the governor in its enrolled form, forcing a decision to either sign or veto the legislation without her changes within 30 days.

Thursday: Special Session Recesses Without a Budget Deal

By Thursday, attention shifted solely to the state budget — but legislators left Richmond without reaching a compromise on Virginia’s two-year spending plan.

At the center of the budget stalemate is an ongoing dispute over Virginia’s data center tax exemption, a long-standing incentive that exempts the industry from paying sales tax on equipment and is estimated to cost the state roughly $1.6 billion annually. The Senate budget proposes phasing out the exemption immediately to unlock a new source of state revenue, while the House budget maintains it to preserve industry investment and competitiveness. This disagreement has created a significant divide in spending priorities, leaving the roughly $212 billion budget unresolved.

Legislators recessed shortly after convening, signaling that negotiations remain ongoing but without a clear timeline for resolution. With the July 1 start of the new fiscal year fast approaching — and localities awaiting state action to finalize their own budgets — pressure to break the stalemate will only intensify.

Looking Ahead

In the near term, attention will turn back to the governor’s desk. Governor Spanberger has until May 22 to sign or veto legislation that the General Assembly chose not to revise.

At the same time, the budget remains unresolved, with no clear timeline for when legislators will return to finalize a compromise ahead of the July 1 deadline. We will continue to monitor developments closely and provide updates as negotiations progress.

General Assembly rejects more than a dozen of Spanberger’s amendments

By Elizabeth Beyer, Cardinal News

Virginia lawmakers recess special session without a budget deal

By Markus Schmidt, Shannon Heckt, and Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

Virginians narrowly approve mid-decade redistricting effort

By Elizabeth Beyer, Cardinal News

Virginia Supreme Court hears arguments in redistricting case

By Anna Bryson, Richmond Times-Dispatch

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