Obama Urges Virginia to Allow Redistricting

Barack Obama has a message for Virginians. In a video released Thursday, the former president urges them to approve an April 21 constitutional amendment that would let the state legislature rewrite congressional district lines in time for November—changes Democrats say could help "level the playing field" after GOP-led redistricting in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri, CBS News reports. "Several Republican-controlled states have redrawn their congressional maps to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterm elections," he posted, per the News Leader.

The stakes are high: Republicans now hold a slim US House majority, per CBS, and Virginia's current map sends six Democrats and five Republicans to Congress. Proposals backed by Democratic leaders could shift that to as many as 10 Democrats and one Republican, drawing sharp pushback from the state GOP, which calls the effort an "illegal gerrymandering power grab" designed to mute half the electorate. The move forces Democrats to navigate their own past rhetoric against gerrymandering, including Obama's 2020 warning that it has "warped our representative government." Early voting on the amendment begins Friday.