Northern Virginia stands to pick up three state House seats and one state Senate seat under redistricting plans unveiled by Senate and House leaders Tuesday. Explosive population growth in the outer suburbs of Washington, D.C., over the past 10 years propelled the region to greater political clout in the General Assembly, including a new Senate seat that would encompass parts of Loudoun, Fauquier and Prince William counties under a plan introduced by Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax.
“Most major changes were due to population,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, who is chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Northern Virginia’s gains come at the expense of less populated areas of the state. In Virginia Beach, Republican Sens. Frank Wagner and Jeff McWaters would be moved into the same district under the plan. Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Roanoke, and Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, also would be shoved together in southwest Virginia.
A redistricting plan introduced in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates by Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, would give Northern Virginia three new House seats encompassing parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties.
The Democrats’ plan would protect Northern Virginia’s incumbent senators in a year when Republicans will attempt to wrest control of the state Senate from Democrats, who now hold a narrow 22-18 edge in the chamber.
“In this plan, we did not draw lines in [any ways] to unseat any incumbent Republicans or Democrats,” said Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax. “All incumbent senators are in pretty good shape [for] being re-elected.”
Whipple said the plan may actually create more swing districts across the state, including 28 of the 40 Senate districts that were carried by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell in 2009 and 23 of the 40 carried by former Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in 2005.
“Nevertheless, I think the incumbent senators are going to be in a good position,” she said.
The General Assembly will review the maps next week, and changes are expected. Lawmakers also will craft new maps of the state’s 11-member congressional delegation as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process.
