A much-anticipated Supreme Court ruling involving challenged Virginia House of Delegates districts could cause upcoming primary elections to be postponed — leaving key electoral dates in doubt as Democrats seek to claim control of both legislative chambers.
Experts say a delay of the June 11 primaries may be needed if the court upholds the map drawn by the state legislature in 2011, which African American voters challenged as racial gerrymandering. Any change in maps could have a potentially seismic effect for the November elections. Republicans control the state House of Delegates 51-49 and the state Senate 21-19. With Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam having more than two-and-a-half years left in office, his party could potentially win full control of state government for the first time in more than a quarter-century.
