Barack Obama has urged voters in Virginia to support plans to allow the state to redraw its congressional map ahead of the midterms. In a video message shared with ABC News, the former president asked those in the Old Dominion to vote “yes” on April 21 in a referendum on whether to approve a new redistricting plan that could give Democrats four additional House seats following November’s elections. The plans in Virginia are a counteraction to gerrymandering efforts demanded by President Donald Trump to give the GOP additional seats in states such as Texas and Florida. Republicans are looking to find any advantage they can ahead of the midterms amid rising expectations that the GOP is going to suffer an electoral wipeout in November, amid intense backlash to Trump’s second term. “By voting yes, you have a chance to do something important, not just for the Commonwealth, but for our entire country,” Obama said in the video he also shared on social media.
Published: April 17, 2026 4:56 pm
Source: The Daily Beast — Read original