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Johnson’s comments reflect a long-standing GOP grievance that Democratic-led redistricting initiatives have disproportionately shaped congressional representation. According to his argument, some states now send overwhelmingly Democratic delegations to Washington despite having sizable Republican voting blocs.
“They started that. And that’s why some states have almost entirely blue delegations and no Republicans, even though big percentages of their population vote Republican. So Democrats started this. The Republican states are doing what they can do lawfully under their state laws. And in a state like California, Virginia, they had to defy their own constitutions to play a dishonest game. The people are taking account of this. They’re voting accordingly and we are on track to win in November. Watch. We are on track,” Johnson continued.
While Johnson projected confidence, a major legal development out of Virginia has added fuel to the national debate.
In a striking decision, Judge Jack Hurley invalidated a voter-backed redistricting amendment, halting its implementation and blocking certification of election results tied to the measure. The ruling, issued in Tazewell County Circuit Court, declared the proposal “void ab initio,” meaning it was legally flawed from the very beginning.
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The decision effectively wipes out the results of a recent referendum that had narrowly passed, dealing a blow to efforts aimed at reshaping the state’s congressional districts mid-decade. The court also imposed a permanent injunction, preventing officials from moving forward with any changes tied to the contested map.
At the center of the ruling was the constitutional process required to amend Virginia’s governing document. The court found that lawmakers failed to follow the mandated multi-step procedure, which requires passage across two legislative sessions with a general election in between. According to the decision, that requirement was not met, and the next valid opportunity would not come until 2027.
Judge Hurley also pointed to additional procedural missteps. Lawmakers were found to have overstepped the scope of a special legislative session when introducing the amendment. On top of that, the timeline for the referendum itself fell short of legal standards. Early voting reportedly began less than 90 days after legislative approval, violating state requirements.
Perhaps most damaging, the court took issue with how the proposal was presented to voters. The ballot language, Hurley concluded, was “flagrantly misleading” and failed to accurately reflect what the amendment would actually do.
The lawsuit challenging the measure was brought by Republican-aligned groups along with sitting members of Congress, who argued that the redrawn districts would significantly alter representation and potentially harm their constituencies. The court agreed that the challengers had standing and would suffer irreparable harm if the plan moved forward.
The now-blocked proposal would have allowed lawmakers to redraw congressional maps outside the traditional once-per-decade cycle tied to the U.S. Census. Critics warned it could dramatically reshape the political landscape, with projections suggesting that 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts could lean Democratic under the new lines.
As the legal and political fights collide, Johnson is betting that voters are paying attention.
With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Republicans appear ready to counter what they see as years of strategic mapmaking by Democrats. Whether that strategy resonates with voters will become clear in November—but if Johnson is right, the GOP believes momentum is already on its side.
