March 20, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: I read with interest the recent letters from John Paul Candler and Chris Gavaler on Virginia’s redistricting referendum. Both make their case sincerely, and I respect that. Both are right that Republicans have gamed the system. But both reach fundamentally illiberal conclusions — retaliation and a power grab.
Liberalism — real liberalism — holds that the means matter as much as the ends. Power alone cannot bring about justice. It never has. Justice is about people getting what they deserve — rights, voice, representation. The moment one manipulates people to deliver even good outcomes, you undermine the foundation those outcomes rest on. Moreover, what is gained through a rigged map can be lost the same way.
This is why being a liberal is hard. It requires winning slowly and honestly — by changing minds rather than changing maps. It means accepting that you may lose elections you believe you should have won. That is demanding, but it is the only standard consistent with liberalism.
Both letters unintentionally reveal a belief that progressives (as distinct from liberals) cannot win enough seats on ideas alone and must compensate through force. But the people whose votes are diluted do not care which party does it. They only know their voice got smaller. Shrinking someone else’s voice to amplify your own is the opposite of justice. It is what liberalism exists to prevent. Progressives are not liberal then.
If progressives believe their policies are better for working Virginians — and many sincerely do — the answer is to make that case. Win the argument. Earn the votes. Rigging the map is what you do when you have stopped believing you can. ATIN BASU Lexington
