The map, approved narrowly by Virginia voters, likely would have nixed the seats of Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), John McGuire (R-VA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Ben Cline (R-VA). Only Rep. Morgan Griffith’s (R-VA) seat, in heavily Republican southwest Virginia, was still rated as safely Republican under the map.

McGuire called the referendum an “unconstitutional power grab on the Democrat Party side” during an interview with the Washington Examiner.

“I’m really thankful to the Supreme Court for upholding our Constitution,” McGuire said. “A lot of people were talking about running from this district and that district. I’ve never wavered in saying that this is unconstitutional.”

Wittman similarly said the map was unconstitutional and was “rightly rejected” by the court.

“The court has made clear that you cannot cut corners on the Constitution, ignore required procedures, and mislead voters to force through changes of this magnitude,” he said.

Griffith and Cline both said in statements that the Virginia Supreme Court decided correctly, with Cline stating it was “always going to end up this way.”

“Democrats broke laws that they helped write in the first place, blew through deadlines, wrote a biased and misleading ballot question, and lied to the voters in all of their advertising to support the referendum,” Cline said. “This is a great day for fair elections and the rule of law, and it’s a great day for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

National Republicans quickly celebrated the decision, with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) saying that “Virginia Democrats’ corrupt scheme to rig the map has been crushed in court, restoring fairness and protecting the future of the Commonwealth.”

“The NRCC was proud to lead and fund this fight to uphold the Virginia Constitution and protect fair representation, and this win is yet another sign Republicans have the momentum heading into November,” Hudson said. “We’re on offense, and we’re going to win.”

The ruling is a huge loss for Democrats, who raised over $60 million on the effort and expended political capital to get it across the finish line.

Meanwhile, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) described the ruling as a “setback that sends a terrible message to Americans — the powerful and elite will do everything they can to silence you.”

“House Democrats will not let this happen,” she continued. “Our democracy was founded on the belief that the people have the final say. In November, they will, and they’ll power Democrats to the House majority.”

Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott, a Democrat, said in a statement that states Democrats “respect the decision.”

“That truth doesn’t change because of a court ruling,” Scott said. “This was always about more than one election — it was about whether the voices of the people matter. And no decision can erase what Virginians made clear at the ballot box.”

RED OR BLUE? GOP AND DEMOCRATS EYE NEXT GERRYMANDER TARGETS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING

This decision came after House Democrats had already taken a major loss when the Supreme Court dealt a blow to race-based redistricting, finding that Louisiana’s second black-majority congressional district was created in violation of the Constitution, without fully gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

Since this decision, states such as Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama have considered gerrymandering their maps to further favor Republicans in the redistricting wars.