Early voting is underway in Virginia's April 21 redistricting referendum. Democrats want to gerrymander the congressional districts to potentially give themselves four more seats in the Old Dominion, enough to tip the national balance.
So far, Washington Times columnist Robert Knight, who lives in Virginia, does not think things are going as planned.
"This gerrymandering amendment and early voting that's going on right now isn't as popular as the Democrats thought it would be," he tells AFN. "They poured millions into fooling people into thinking this is about fairness. They managed to get that into the language of the amendment, saying it would restore fairness, and it does just the opposite."
Given the gravity of this effort, he is disappointed that the Republican Party has not stepped up to the plate. He commends outside groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is located in Fairfax County, for putting resources and manpower into opposing it.
The NRA's Justin Davis recently told AFN the organization is urging Virginia's Second Amendment supporters to wake up and realize what is at stake.
"This is not a joking matter," Davis said. "People's representation in Congress is a very serious matter."
"The National Rifle Association is a very effective lobby for gun rights," Knight notes. "They have enormous impact, and the fact that they're starting to spend money on ads to inform the people of Virginia that this amendment is really about stripping them of their two-party system and rendering Virginia into a one-party state that's hostile to gun rights, I think, is going to have a big impact."
If the Democrats succeed, then four Republican House seats are almost certain to flip to Democrats, giving them a 10-1 majority in a state with a current 6-5 split.
Knight warns that could flip the U.S. Congress to the Democrats in the 2026 midterms.
