Virginia already has a Democratic governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, only two state House and two state Senate seats are keeping the home of the former Confederate capital from becoming a Democratic or blue state.
The United State Supreme Court bolstered that effort Monday by dismissing a Republican (red) appeal of a lower court ruling. A lower court had ordered Virginia to redraw the House district lines in the greater Richmond region and Hampton Roads region, which have large Black populations.
The lower court order came after Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and House Republicans would not agree on a legislative fix and the court hired its own expert to redraw the lines. Virginia must now use those district demarcation lines in the November 2019 elections.
In the 5-4 Supreme Court decision, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch voted in the majority. In his dissent, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, "It seems obvious that any group consisting of members who must work together to achieve the group’s aims has a keen interest in the identity of its members, and it follows that the group also has a strong interest in how its members are selected."
"In stark contrast, the House does not select its own members," Ginsburg retorted. "Instead, it is a representative body composed of members chosen by the people."
The group Swing Left added, “We're supporting 20 great candidates running to flip the House of Delegates and the State Senate because this could be our best and last chance to turn Virginia blue and set up a decade of progressive victories that will impact the entire country.”