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Virginia’s Redistricting Fight Ramps up as Opponents Wield Barack Obama’s Past Comments
Mailers backed by a PAC and a $2.5 million donor draw condemnation for using misleading Obama quotes and civil rights imagery.
- The Virginia NAACP condemned mailers distributed by the Justice for Democracy PAC on Wednesday, accusing them of misusing out-of-context quotes from former President Barack Obama to oppose the April 21 redistricting referendum.
- Voters will decide April 21 whether to suspend Virginia's bipartisan redistricting commission and replace current maps favoring Democrats 6-5 with a plan favoring Democrats 10-1. Proponents argue this restores fairness; opponents claim it enables partisan gerrymandering.
- A.C. Cordoza, chair of the PAC, defended the mailers, saying he reminds voters of Obama's past anti-gerrymandering statements. However, Obama currently supports the referendum, appearing in ads urging voters to vote yes.
- During a Wednesday press conference, NAACP leaders denounced the materials as a disinformation campaign targeting Black voters. The organization announced a disinformation workshop for next Monday to help residents navigate election-related information.
- This dispute reflects broader national conflict over partisan redistricting, with Republicans in Texas and Democrats in California enacting competing plans to secure seats. The Virginia referendum remains crucial ahead of the 2026 midterms.
20 Articles
20 Articles
InsideNoVA.com
Virginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight
Civil rights leaders in Virginia on Wednesday denounced a political campaign opposing the state’s April 21 redistricting referendum, accusing it of spreading misinformation and exploiting civil rights imagery to sway voters. At a news conference at Maggie L. Walker Memorial…
Virginia’s redistricting fight ramps up as opponents wield Barack Obama’s past comments
An argument over former President Barack Obama’s past comments about gerrymandering reflects the conundrum that worries some Democratic allies ahead of an April 21 referendum. Having promoted nonpartisan redistricting in the past, Obama, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other top Democrats now have to motivate voters to turn out for a special election to impose a gerrymander.
Virginia groups clash over redistricting referendum messaging
RICHMOND, Va. As early voting surpasses the halfway mark for Virginia's referendum on redrawing congressional districts, groups on both sides of the issue are trading accusations of misleading voters.Voters are being asked to temporarily suspend a voter-approved bipartisan redistricting commission which drew the current maps that favor Democrats 6-5 and replace it with a map that favors Democrats 10-1.The commission would resume its work after t…
Misleading anti-redistricting mailers prompt outcry from AG Jones, Virginia NAACP
A public messaging brawl over Virginia's upcoming redistricting referendum has gotten even messier with new mailers prominently displaying out-of-context quotes from former President Barack Obama. The front of the mailers, which some Arlington households received last week, urges residents to vote against redistricting and quotes Obama as saying, "Let voters decide, not politicians." Obama actually
NAACP warns against 'misleading' referendum mailers from PAC linked to tech billionaire
Records show the political action committee Justice for Democracy, which opposes the April 21 referendum, received a $2.5 million contribution from an entity linked to tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
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