A new Virginia congressional map released by court-appointed special masters on Wednesday isn't bad for Democrats overall: it creates a new safe Democratic seat in Northern Virginia at the expense of a competitive one. But on an individual level, it's bad news for Virginia's trio of Democratic women: it obliterates Rep. Abigail Spanberger's suburban Richmond 7th CD and slightly weakens Reps. Elaine Luria (VA-02) and Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) too.
The Supreme Court of Virginia chose the pair of special masters, professor Bernard Grofman and attorney/election analyst Sean Trende, after Virginia's new bipartisan redistricting commission deadlocked. The court is expected to sign off on the duo's work soon.
The biggest victim here is Spanberger, a former CIA operative and moderate rising star who defeated GOP Rep. Dave Brat in 2018 by stressing her independence and running up the score in the Richmond suburbs. The new version divides those suburbs between two deeply GOP seats (Rep. Rob Wittman's 1st CD and Rep. Bob Good's 5th CD) and uproots the 7th to Prince William County in Northern Virginia, moving from Biden +1 to
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