President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are set to hold a tele-rally Monday night targeting voters in Virginia in a last-minute effort to defeat a Democratic-led referendum to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The tele-rally, reported by Axios, comes as Democrats in the commonwealth aim to shift Virginia’s 11 congressional districts from a 6-5 Democratic edge to a 10-1 Democratic lock. A source familiar with the rally confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Johnson would be in attendance.
Recommended Stories
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called out the president for his last-minute involvement at a Monday press conference.
“I hope that this rally is broadcast all across the Commonwealth of Virginia, because Donald Trump, up until this point, has been trying to hide his position,” Jeffries said. “He’s been in the presidential witness protection program as it relates to the referendum in Virginia, but he can’t hide anymore, and we’re urging everyone to vote yes to stop the MAGA power grab.”
While Trump has largely stayed out of the referendum campaign, two Trumpworld insiders said the White House had been under steady pressure from Republican officials to engage. If the amendment passes, it would allow the Democratic state legislature to temporarily bypass a bipartisan commission and redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The president’s involvement comes on the eve of the final day voters will head to the polls to decide the fate of this Democratic-led effort.
Recent polls have shown the election will be tight, as those published by George Mason University, Quantus Insights, and Virginia’s State Navigate all show the referendum passing by 5 points or less.
TEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTE TO REBUKE TRUMP AND PROTECT 350,00 HAITIANS MIGRANTS
Amid this tight race, Republicans have been spending heavily in hopes of defeating the ballot measure, after Democrats raised more than $50 million for the effort.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and national Democrats have framed the push as a direct response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in states such as Texas, casting the referendum as a chance for Virginians to push back against what they describe as an emerging GOP power grab.
