New polling from Virginia has brought forth some rather disappointing news for Democrats. According to data released on Monday by Roanoke College, voters in the Old Dominion seem to favor the current system of congressional and legislative redistricting, which allows a non-partisan panel to determine district boundaries. Moreover, it appears that the state’s new governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, isn’t enjoying much of a honeymoon phase with Virginians.
Before we dive in, it’s important to acknowledge the familiar caveats about polling: polls can be insightful; polls can be misleading; you can’t always rely on polling data; some only highlight polls that support their agenda; and others feel their side is never favored. All these points hold true. That said, since this is the first polling reflecting public sentiment regarding the Democrats’ push for an aggressive gerrymander in Virginia, it deserves a closer look.
Enjoying our conservative news and commentary? Make sure you share and tell your friends about us!
Here’s a concise summary: Virginia Democrats are currently working to push through a new congressional map aimed at reducing Republican representation by eliminating four of the five U.S. House seats they currently occupy. If the Democrats succeed, the current 6-5 Democratic-Republican breakdown could shift dramatically to a 10-1 ratio this Election Day. To achieve this, they need to overturn an existing voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that established a non-partisan redistricting panel. They aim to replace it with a new amendment that would hand the responsibility of drawing district boundaries to state lawmakers—who happen to control both chambers of the General Assembly. However, an April 21 referendum on the proposed amendment has been put on hold due to a Republican lawsuit against the state Board of Elections that is still making its way through the courts.
A poll conducted via phone and text among 800 Virginia residents from February 9 to February 16, 2026, aimed to represent all regions of the commonwealth through specific quotas. This detail is crucial, especially since the northern part of the state tends to lean heavily left, often embracing views that aren’t widely shared elsewhere. Regarding the Democrats’ proposal to completely overhaul the current congressional map, the majority of respondents showed resistance, with 62 percent expressing satisfaction with the existing method for redrawing district boundaries:
A majority of respondents (62%) support the current method of mapping electoral districts. When asked how they would vote in a referendum to amend the state constitution and change that method, most (52%) said they would vote to keep the current process while 44% said they would vote to adopt the change proposed by the General Assembly.
Democrats should take note of this figure, as it closely aligns with the nearly 66 percent of voters who backed the current redistricting method in 2020. This suggests that even if the proposed gerrymander manages to navigate the judicial system, voters don’t seem to be in favor of the new amendment.
The news for Governor Spanberger isn’t great. Just a month into her term, Virginians are giving her a lower approval rating than they did her predecessor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, at the end of his term. Youngkin wrapped up his tenure with a 54 percent approval rating, while Spanberger has managed a surprisingly low 53 percent early on. She seems to have missed out on a honeymoon period due to various moves she made, including ending cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising the minimum wage—prompting companies like Boeing to consider pulling out of the state—and pledging a series of tax hikes, despite presenting herself as a “moderate” during her campaign.
There’s also this:
Governor Spanberger once said gerrymandering "weakens the individual voices that form our electorate."
She was right. Rigged maps hurt all of us – no matter who's in charge.
Keep our maps honest. Vote NO on April 21st. pic.twitter.com/96Q5GoKxxy
— No Gerrymandering Virginia (@nogerryva) February 23, 2026
Despite facing significant unpopularity and relatively low approval ratings for many of her policies, Spanberger has been chosen to deliver the official Democratic Party response following President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. This selection may indicate that the party envisions her stepping into a national role by 2028, and they are clearly making efforts to raise her profile ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
Should be interesting.
