Former President Barack Obama faced heavy criticism online on Tuesday after praising Virginia voters over a controversial redistricting decision.
The closely decided vote is expected to reshape the state’s congressional map in a way that could leave all but one of Virginia’s 11 districts under Democratic control. Voters approved the measure by a slim margin, with 51.5% voting “yes” and 48.5% voting “no”.
At present, Virginia’s House delegation is narrowly divided 6–5 in favor of the Democrats, but the proposed changes could shift as many as 10 of the 11 seats toward the party.
Obama’s comments caused backlash
Following the announcement of the result, the former American leader posted on X: “Congratulations, Virginia!” He added: “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”
His comments quickly drew backlash from critics across social media. One user responded: “Standing up for Democracy would be redistricting that benefits neither party. You dont [sic] care about Democracy, you care about your parties supremacy,” adding: “No difference between this and Trump.”
Former Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin also criticized Obama, calling his comments a “farce.” She wrote: “Disenfranchising millions of voters and forcing 45% of Virginians to be represented by 1 congressional district and 55% represented by 10 is now ‘standing up for Democracy.’ Is that ‘equity’?”
Others pointed out what they saw as a contradiction with Obama’s past statements opposing gerrymandering. One user noted he had previously been “railing against the EXACT thing you are currently praising…”
In July 2020, Obama wrote: “For too long, gerrymandering has contributed to stalled progress and warped our representative government. Redistricting begins next year – let’s all do our part to protect and restore our democracy.” In another post from August 2020, he said: “Let’s guarantee that every citizen has equal representation in our government. And end partisan gerrymandering, so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians.”
Critics seized on those comments, with one calling him a “Freaking hypocrite,” while another argued: “Standing up for democracy is not disenfranchising voters with a 10D- 1R map in a state that barely went blue last election. You’re doing EXACTLY what you condemn.”
What does the new plan change?
The proposed redistricting plan significantly reshapes Virginia’s political map. It creates five districts in the heavily Democratic northern region and introduces major changes to the 7th congressional district.
The 7th has been dubbed the “lobster district” because of its unusual shape, stretching from Arlington, a Democratic-leaning area, into more rural, Republican-leaning regions.
These changes would replace the current court-drawn map, which was implemented after a bipartisan commission failed to agree on new boundaries following the 2020 census.
Although redistricting typically occurs every 10 years, the new amendment allows the General Assembly to redraw districts earlier, potentially putting a new map in place ahead of the 2026 elections.
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin thanked voters who opposed the measure, calling it an “egregious power grab.” He said: “The race was much closer than the left expected because Virginians know a 10-1 map is not Virginia,” and urged the state’s Supreme Court to intervene, arguing the process would “disenfranchise millions of Virginians.”
Meanwhile, current Governor Abigail Spanberger supported the outcome, stating: “Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they pushed back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress.”
Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 22, 2026
She added: “As we watched other states go along with those demands without voter input, Virginians refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box.”
Her comments come despite earlier statements when she said: “I have no plans to redistrict Virginia,” noting at the time that she was observing developments in other states but did not intend to pursue changes herself.
Featured Image. Credit: Pool / Getty
