Court Rulings Throw Out Virginia Election Results, Reshape House Map Battles in Virginia and Southern States

Back-to-back court rulings have wiped out Democratic gains from a redrawn Virginia map and now threaten to erode Black representation by Democrats in the Deep South, resetting the battle for control of the House. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had warned Republicans they would come to regret the congressional redistricting fight.

When Democrats counterpunched last month with a redrawn Virginia map, the net tally of seats gained and lost was a wash.

“F— around and find out,” Jeffries said after the election victory. In a matter of days the race for the House majority and the speaker’s gavel was dramatically reset. The Virginia Supreme Court tossed last month's election results.

Democrats had been favored to win back the House this November. Jeffries’ aligned outside group has spent some $60 million, much of it on Virginia alone.

Jeffries, who is in line to make history as America’s first Black speaker of the House, acknowledged that Democrats may need to flip twice as many Republican seats — a total gain of six rather than just three — to win the majority. He noted that Democrats picked up seats in the 2018 midterm elections during Trump's first term.

” He warned colleagues that Republicans would proceed with “diabolical intensity” in their campaigns.

Jeffries told House Democrats “Failure is not an option. ” Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, among the most narrow in modern House history. Trump said last summer that Republicans were “entitled” to five more GOP seats from Texas.

In response, Hakeem Jeffries flew to Austin to join Texas Democrats fighting the redistricting plan. Jeffries stood with Texas lawmakers in Chicago where they fled to deny statehouse Republicans a quorum. California Democrats launched a voter initiative that put five more seats in the Democratic column.

Democrats picked up a seat in Utah. Jeffries rallied some 1,000 churchgoers in Richmond ahead of Election Day. He joined a call with Virginia Democrats over the weekend after the court setbacks. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the Democratic play for Virginia a “crazy overreach” that was rightly rejected by the state’s high court.

Rep. James Clyburn’s seat in South Carolina is at risk due to redistricting. James Clyburn said “What the hell, he can't control the courts. Don’t put that on Jeffries. ” Jeffries held a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on May 13, 2026.

He acknowledged that this year's maps are almost set. Jeffries said Democrats will redouble efforts to confront GOP redistricting ahead of 2028. ” He said Trump Republicans “don't give a damn” about Americans' financial struggles.

ABC News reported on the developments in an article published on May 14, 2026.