The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Democrats’ aggressive congressional redistricting plan is now triggering a second political explosion — this time over the eye-popping amount of money Democrats spent pushing a map that ultimately got tossed out as unconstitutional.
And critics are having a field day.
According to reports, Virginians for Fair Elections — the primary organization backing the Democratic-led redistricting effort — raised more than $64 million to support the proposed congressional map that could have delivered Democrats four additional House seats in the upcoming midterms.
Nearly $40 million of that reportedly came from a political spending group aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had become deeply invested in the battle over Virginia’s congressional boundaries.
The spending was overwhelming.
Analysis from The Washington Post found that supporters of the map outspent opponents by roughly 10-to-1 on television advertising as Democrats attempted to sell voters on the proposal.
But in the end, none of it mattered.
Friday’s Virginia Supreme Court ruling invalidated the entire effort after justices determined Democrats violated the state constitution by improperly fast-tracking the referendum process before voters earlier this year.
The ruling instantly wiped out the new congressional map and preserved Virginia’s current districts — a devastating setback for Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming the House of Representatives in November.
The financial fallout immediately became political ammunition for conservatives online.
“The funniest part about the court’s ruling that Virginia’s map is unconstitutional garbage is that the Democrats burned $64M just to get it thrown out,” conservative commentator Dustin Grage posted on social media shortly after the ruling.
“Democrats incinerated nearly $70 million on an unconstitutional gerrymandering scheme in Virginia,” added Republican strategist Steve Guest.
The defeat carries enormous national implications because Democrats had viewed Virginia as one of their biggest remaining opportunities to offset Republican redistricting gains elsewhere in the country.
Instead, Republicans are now widening their advantage.
Over the past several months, GOP-controlled legislatures in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee have all approved new maps expected to strengthen Republican control and potentially create around 10 additional GOP-friendly congressional seats heading into 2026.
Republicans are also exploring further map changes in states like Louisiana and South Carolina after recent Supreme Court decisions sharply limited the use of race in congressional district design.
That broader redistricting war is now tilting heavily toward Republicans.
Still, Democratic leaders are refusing to concede defeat.
Jeffries blasted the Virginia Supreme Court ruling as “undemocratic” and accused the court of disenfranchising voters who narrowly approved the referendum earlier this year.
“We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision,” Jeffries said. “No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November.”
Meanwhile, conservatives online quickly turned the ruling into a mockery campaign aimed at Democratic Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas, one of the amendment’s strongest public supporters.
Republican strategist Christian Martinez ridiculed promotional “Ten F—ing One” merchandise Lucas had been selling in anticipation of Democrats dominating Virginia’s congressional delegation under the new map.
“Tough luck, @SenLouiseLucas — merch just got Supreme Court’d straight to the clearance rack,” Martinez wrote.
“Maybe try ‘Zero F—ing Wins’ next time.”
The timing became even more explosive because Lucas is simultaneously facing unrelated federal scrutiny.
According to Fox News Digital, the FBI raided Lucas’ Portsmouth office earlier this week as part of an ongoing investigation tied to a marijuana dispensary business she owns. Sources familiar with the probe say investigators are examining possible corruption allegations, though no formal charges have been announced.
Lucas’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
