Virginia voted to allow lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional map to create more seats for Democrats ahead of this year's midterm elections. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says President Trump's effort to "rig" the midterms has been "thwarted."
"We were asking the voters of Virginia to respond in a temporary way to a national crisis that was started by Donald Trump in an environment where two-thirds of the people of Virginia had decided just a few years ago to go in a different direction," Jeffries told Morning Edition. "It was an extraordinary undertaking. But the people of Virginia responded because they understood the assignment, and that's to make sure we have a free and fair midterm election."
Virginia is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans in the U.S. House. The narrow vote, officially called by the Associated Press, would add four more seats likely to be won by Democrats in the midterm elections. It would also bypass the state's bipartisan redistricting commission, which means Democrats would almost completely control Virginia's congressional delegation.
This race was a win for Democrats in an ongoing redistricting battle started by Trump last year when he asked Texas lawmakers to create five more seats in the state to give Republicans an edge in midterm elections.
Jeffries and NPR's Michel Martin discussed Virginia's vote to give Democrats an edge in the midterm elections. He also briefly commented on the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and the recent resignations of three members of Congress after they faced threats of expulsion.
Listen to the full conversation by clicking the play button in the blue box above, and read highlights from the conversation below.
Why Virginia's vote is a win for Democrat
Since President Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, blue and red states alike have been involved in a drawn out redistricting battle. California Democrats planned to create five seats that favor Democrats. While Missouri and North Carolina Republicans created a few more GOP-leaning seats, giving Republicans an edge heading into the midterms. But Virginia's results have wiped out that edge altogether.
"Donald Trump indicated that he was going to rip away 10, 12 or 15 seats from the people of this country in states like Texas and Missouri and North Carolina as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections," Jeffries said. "That effort has now been thwarted."
Virginia is a purple state, and Democrats won by a narrow majority — 51% yes and 49% no.
Jeffries said he attributes the Virginia referendum results, and other Democrat flips across the country, to promises to fix the Trump administration's shortcomings.
"All of our candidates have been talking about our commitment to lowering the high cost of living, to fixing our broken health care system, to making sure we get ICE under control — and have immigration enforcement in this country that's fair, just and humane — and to stopping this costly and reckless war of choice in the Middle East," he said.
How Democrats are approaching the DHS shutdown
The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for a record breaking two months, and Congress has not given a clear indicator on when the department will reopen.
"We have a bipartisan bill that the Senate passed not once but twice unanimously that would reopen the Department of Homeland Security with the exception of ICE in the DHS. And [House Speaker] Mike Johnson and Republicans refuse to actually bring it to the floor for an up or down vote. If it's brought to the floor, it will pass overwhelmingly," Jeffries said.
Markwayne Mullin, the new homeland security secretary, said on Tuesday that if Congress failed to reach a deal and reopen the department, it would run out of money by May and be unable to pay employees.
"Republicans have made clear that they are the ones who have chosen to shut down the Department of Homeland Security and risk a situation where we may see renewed chaos at airports and TSA agents not being paid if, in fact, it is the case, according to the Homeland Security secretary, that their slush fund is about to run out of money," Jeffries said.
The impact of the latest resignations from Congress
Three Congress members have resigned after public controversies and threats of expulsion. This number is unusually high and has people questioning how elected officials are held accountable for misconduct.
Jeffries said the Ethics Committee should come up with a way to make sure members are held accountable for their actions.
"Members of Congress need to be held to the highest ethical standards. And certainly we cannot, under any circumstances, tolerate sexual harassment or sexual violence," Jeffries said.
He alluded to Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, the two representatives who resigned after allegations of sexual harassment, saying their resignations were an "important step," but further action should be taken.
"In both instances, there needs to be, clearly, criminal investigations that play themselves out," Jeffries said.
Swalwell has admitted to making mistakes, but he's denied the allegations against him and vowed to fight them. Gonzales has admitted to having an affair with a staff member, who later committed suicide.
Treye Greene edited the digital piece.
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