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The president Donald Trump denounced this Wednesday on Truth Social a supposed "rigged election" in Virginia, a day after voters in the state approved a referendum that redistricts congressional districts in favor of the Democrats.
This fact has alarmed the leader -whose approval has been declining in recent weeks- as it could cost the Republican Party up to four seats in the midterm elections of November 2026.
The referendum was approved on Tuesday by a narrow margin of 51% in favor versus 49% against, with 97% of the votes counted, and it was declared a victory for "yes" at 8:49 p.m.
In his post, Trump claimed without providing evidence that the Republicans were winning throughout the day until, at the end of the day, there was a "massive delivery of mail-in ballots" that reversed the outcome.
"Where have I heard that before?" he wrote, referencing his repeated accusations of electoral fraud since 2020.
"Last night, a rigged election took place in the great state of Virginia! All day the Republicans were winning, the mood was incredible, until the end when, of course, there was a massive 'mail-in vote drop.' And the Democrats scored another corrupt victory!" Trump posted.
The leader also criticized the wording of the referendum, labeling it as "deliberately unintelligible and misleading", and threatened to challenge the results in court: "We will see if the courts rectify this parody of 'justice'."
The newly approved map would give the Democrats an advantage in ten of the eleven congressional districts in Virginia, compared to the current distribution of six Democrats and five Republicans, which would represent a net gain of up to four seats.
The measure bypasses the bipartisan redistribution commission that the voters of Virginia established in 2020 with a 66% approval rating, and gives the power to redraw the maps directly to the General Assembly, controlled by the Democrats.
Trump's reaction comes in the context of a national redistricting war that he himself initiated by urging Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional maps in the summer of 2025, aiming to gain up to five Democratic seats. The Democrats responded with similar measures in California, approved in November 2025 with 64% of the votes, and now in Virginia.
The Virginia Supreme Court has two lawsuits pending regarding the map: one concerning whether the Democrats violated procedural rules by including the proposal in a special session, and another regarding whether the wording of the ballot was misleading.
The court has already allowed the vote to take place but reserved the right to examine the merits of the case.
According to the redistribution tracker from CNN, the current national balance shows ten potential seats for the Democrats compared to nine for the Republicans, although Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could tip the scales by promoting a new map that includes up to five additional Republican districts in the coming weeks.
The state senator Scott Surovell, majority leader in the Virginia Senate, celebrated the outcome with a brief statement: "Equity won. Accountability won."
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