Virginia’s Democratic Speaker of the House didn’t mince words when describing Democrats who voted ‘No’ in the recent redistricting referendum. But those on the other side of the insult weren’t phased.
“We know it was close because there were some Democrats, some squishy, bed wetting Democrats, who claim ‘oh, I don’t like gerrymandering,’ this is not about gerrymandering,” said House speaker Don Scott Wednesday morning after the redistricting effort he and Senate President Louise Lucas, both Democrats of color, threw their full weight behind won by a nearly three-point margin.
Scott’s harsh words didn’t come out of nowhere; he said voters in districts like his and Lucas’, majority Black and brown, and near Naval Station Norfolk, felt the impacts from President Donald Trump’s policies more than most.
“We have a guy sending our men and women into war,” Scott said. “Who made it happen last night? Black voters showed up. Hispanic voters showed up. Communities that Republicans tried to mislead, they targeted to mislead and suppress, showed up and made their voices heard."
“And they not only voted 'Yes',” he added. “They voted 'Hell yes!'”
J. Miles Coleman is with the UVA Center for Politics. His early look at Tuesday’s voter demographics suggests, while white voters shifted to the right, it was Black and Brown voters responsible for the Yes’ efforts success.
“The ‘Yes’ vote held steady in majority Black districts,” he said of the Commonwealth’s southeastern localities. “And you saw the ‘Yes’ vote did considerably better than Kamala Harris in Hispanic, Asian majority areas of Northern Virginia.”
Delegate Jackie Glass’s Norfolk district is demographically comparable to Lucas and Scott’s. It also voted overwhelmingly for redistricting to benefit Democrats. She said gerrymandering may have been out of character for her party, but it was, in the end, what the voters supported.
“We’re actually choosing violence… but there’s so much more at stake,” she said, using some modern internet slang, of the vote yes campaign. “So, I’m asking you, ‘can we punch [Trump] in the mouth.’”
Glass had words for 'no' voting Democrats as well.
“The fact that you are able to exercise those moral principles is because of the work we did with the Yes campaign,” she told Radio IQ. “That, quite frankly, was led, executed, and pushed through by Black folks, by women, and by those who share both those identities.”
Fairfax Democratic Senator Saddam Salim’s district has become increasingly diverse in recent years, and he too said it was those diverse communities that came out and voted yes.
“They are the ones getting hurt by the administration’s agenda, from immigration to prices. A lot of them have small businesses, gas stations, and everything in between” he said. “And those are the guys feeling it and they thought this was a way to fight back.”
Brian Cannon was among Democrats who were part of the No Gerrymandering Virginia effort. He said he’ll still vote for Democrats despite Scott’s comments, but he also stands by his vote.
“The pushback we need to have around this country is to win free and fair elections and reinforce our Democratic norms," Cannon said. "And Democrats, to win the House, don’t need to cheat.”
Cannon’s wish could still come true: a Republican-backed challenge to the redistricting effort will be argued at the Supreme Court of Virginia on Monday.
