Gerrymandering and the Tyranny of Big Cities

I’ve written an analysis of the April 21st redistricting vote here in Virginia. At that time, I made the urgent and emphatic point that this is an egregious power grab on the part of Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger and the Democrat majority in our legislature. Not content with their good fortune in the most recent electoral cycle, they now insist that this should be made permanent by rigging our congressional districts in their favor — and permanent it will be, despite the dishonest framing of the measure as temporary. We’ve seen how this works too many times in the years since the left has taken control of the culture. (RELATED: Californicating Virginia: Democrats’ Misleading Appeal to ‘Fairness’)

I’m pleased that I’m not the only one here at The American Spectator who has called out this monstrosity and urged Virginia voters to respond with a resounding “no” vote. I’m also pleased at the statewide rallies against this abomination and at the proliferation of “no” signs in our battleground district on the outer edge of the D.C. suburbs. This matters, since the wealthy and predominantly leftist D.C. suburbs are wildly out of touch with most of Virginia, and particularly rural and small-town Virginia. (RELATED: Can Virginia Stop Spanberger’s Gerrymander?)

Northern Virginia was always more attuned culturally to Maryland and even Pennsylvania, more eastern than southern or even mid-Atlantic, and for years, its culture has become more and more urban, more New York than New Market. These days, heavily populated by government employees who’ve migrated in from out of state, the gulf between this urban megalopolis and the rest of the state is even greater. The governor herself, originally from New Jersey, exemplifies what this means in terms of values.

I hope and pray that this measure is soundly defeated, and I’m guardedly optimistic based on the current momentum. But given the structural advantages enjoyed by NoVa Democrats — the structural advantages they hope to cement through the current referendum — I remain concerned that the “no’ campaign will fall short. Moreover, it needs to be a resounding “no” majority, not a squeaker. Sadly, recent experience suggests that razor-thin conservative majorities tend to mysteriously disappear during the final vote count.