April 24, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette:
Why do Republicans keep referring to the referendum vote as close?
It passed by 3 points: 51.5% to 48.5%. A member of the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia called that “the narrowest of margins.” The chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee said, “This close margin reinforces that Virginia is a purple state.”
If those descriptions are true, then they also apply to Virginia’s last Republican governor. Youngkin won by only 2 points: 50.6% to 48.6%.
They also apply to the last presidential race. Trump won the national popular vote 49.8% to 48.3%. That’s one and a half percentage points. Trump and his followers call that a “landslide.”
Virginia saw an actual landslide last year. Spanberger won 57.6% to 42.2%. Compared to that 15-point margin, sure, the referendum was “close.”
But it still isn’t evidence of a “purple” Virginia. Some Democrats stayed home or voted no because they opposed Virginia gerrymandering more than they opposed Republicans controlling Congress through greater red state gerrymandering.
Some Republicans have begun to adopt a similar principle. When California passed its referendum, Rep. Kevin Kiley said, “I think we should take [this] as a call to action to get rid of gerrymandering nationwide and establish independent redistricting across the country.”
Like Kiley, Rep. Ben Cline faces reelection in a district drawn to favor his opponent. Unlike Kiley, Cline isn’t condemning gerrymandering at the national level. Cline isn’t supporting anti-gerrymandering legislation.
The Democrats’ Redistricting Reform Act of 2024 would have ended gerrymandering in every state. Republicans didn’t even allow it to the floor for a vote. Fortunately, the Redistricting Reform Act of 2025 is waiting in a Republican-controlled committee right now.
If Republicans actually oppose gerrymandering, they will end it. CHRIS GAVALER Lexington
