Spanberger concedes defeat on redistricting and says 2026 elections will use old map

Spanberger told the outlet that the petition to the Supreme Court is “important, but when it comes to the execution of elections, no matter the outcome in that case, we will be running our elections beginning next month with early voting on the current maps that we have.”

She also pointed to the state’s lapsed Tuesday deadline for changes to the congressional map. Virginia’s 2026 primaries are set for Aug. 4, with early voting beginning on June 19. All of the state’s U.S. representatives are up for reelection for the midterm elections.

The redistricting debacle was bound to cause a bit of confusion either way, as some candidates had already planned on running in new districts created by the map approved by voters. That map, crafted by the Democratic state legislature, would likely have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage in the commonwealth’s congressional delegation.

“What needs to happen is we need to focus on the task at hand, which is winning races in November,” Spanberger said.

She told the outlet that she “somewhat doggedly” believes Democrats can flip two to four GOP-held seats in Virginia’s House delegation this year.

She did not specify which seats she is eyeing, but Democrats have been vocal about targeting Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA). Wittman’s seat in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District is listed as “Leans Republican” by the Cook Political Report, while Kiggans’s seat in the state’s 2nd Congressional District is a toss-up. Kiggans is being challenged by former Rep. Elaine Luria, the Democrat whom she defeated in 2022.