Republicans are pointing fingers after narrowly losing Tuesday’s Virginia redistricting referendum, but party officials say the close result signals real momentum heading into the 2026 midterms.
The constitutional amendment passed by around three points, potentially redrawing Virginia’s congressional map from a 6-5 Democratic edge to a 10-1 Democratic supermajority. Democrats and allied outside groups poured upwards of $65 million into the race.
Republicans, or those against the redistricting measure, spent roughly $40 million across the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Republican Party of Virginia and outside allies, the Daily Caller learned.
The bulk of the funding against the referendum came from outside of the committee apparatus, an official shared with the Caller, in order to preserve hard dollars for the midterms.
Despite the loss, the RNC is framing the margin as a win in disguise.
“We over performed by three points and if we do that in the midterms, we will do extremely well,” an RNC official told the Caller.
“Democrats had to bring in the big guns to squeak out a tiny 3% victory. This should be a five alarm fire for them,” the official added.
JOHN REID: It hurts to wake up this morning and realize that that wasn’t a nightmare last night, but all of the Republican activists that we could possibly get a hold of did answer the call, put in the work, and focus on getting the votes out.@ReidRevolution pic.twitter.com/okhfLC0A4Y
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) April 22, 2026
The party was involved in the race, but it was quiet by design. Officials believed a high-profile Republican versus Democrat framing would hurt their chances, so they kept their footprint low while deploying an election integrity team that recruited and trained more than 1,500 poll workers and ran a ground operation of door-knocking and phone banking. (RELATED: Virginia GOP Unleashes Volunteer Army To Stop Democrat Gerrymandering Power Grab)
Regardless, it wasn’t enough and party leaders say the real obstacle was the ballot itself. In November, Spanberger defeated Republican’s candidate for governor by 15 points. In 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris beat President Donald Trump by about 5 points in the state.
☑️SCOOP: GOP blame game erupts over Virginia redistricting “abject failure”
Local Virginia Republicans say the national apparatus — from Trump World to the RNC and beyond — botched the most consequential campaign of the cycle: One that dealt with the fate of four House GOP seats…
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) April 22, 2026
The 40-word ballot question didn’t describe how the map would change, rather it asked voters whether the legislature should “restore fairness in upcoming elections.” Local Republicans involved in the ground game told the Caller that they believed the language mislead many.
Former Attorney General Jason Miyares said he personally knew voters who opposed gerrymandering and cast a “yes” vote believing they were fighting it.
“Can I really fault [Virginians] when I consider just how deceptive the ballot language was that the Democrats put out there?” Jeff Ryer, the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, told the Caller.
The “yes” vote has won Va’s redistricting referendum — but the legal fight is just beginning. Four Va Constitutional challenges are now teed up:
THREE challenges to the amendment process itself:
1️⃣ First passage was invalid. The amendment was taken up during a special session…— Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) April 22, 2026
Republicans aren’t done fighting. Four constitutional challenges to the amendment are now in the pipeline, with party officials hoping to escalate at least one to the Supreme Court. The RNC has spent millions, an official told the Caller, trying to fight the measure in court.
“Congrats Abigail,” Miyares said. “You just wrote your own political obituary. This will haunt Spanberger forever.”
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