It didn’t take long for Virginia Democrats to begin moralizing after Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The 5-to-4 ruling held that the House of Delegates had no standing to appeal a court ruling that required a number of districts to be redrawn due to how the House and Senate handled issues of race.
“When we corrected racially gerrymandered districts earlier this year, we righted a wrong—as I have always said, voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” said Democrat Governor Ralph Northam.
“It’s unfortunate that House Republicans wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and months of litigation in a futile effort to protect racially gerrymandered districts, but the good news is that this fall’s elections will take place in constitutionally drawn districts,” added Democrat Attorney General Mark Herring.
Congressman Don McEachin, D-4th, who won his seat in a district redrawn by the courts, held forth as well.
“Virginia Republicans, led by Speaker Cox, disenfranchised thousands and thousands of voters of color by packing them into racially gerrymandered districts,” he said. “Republicans desperate attempt to hold on to power at the expense of Democracy has been overturned.”
Cox was Majority Leader at the time the lines were passed. Bill Howell, of Fredericksburg, was Speaker in 2011.
Missing from all three statements was one key fact: all three men, former state Senators, joined their colleagues in voting for the lines they now decry as a racially motivated gerrymander.
When the lines were passed in 2011, They passed the Senate 32-to-5, with only Republican votes in opposition. In the House, the lines passed 80-to-9, with the backing of most African American delegates.
Republicans said they were disappointed with the ruling, but had already moved on to the business at hand — keeping their majority.
“Regardless of this decision, we are prepared to defend and grow our majority in the House of Delegates. We will run on our record, which includes cutting taxes for the middle-class, freezing college tuition, and standing up for survivors of domestic assault, and the proven results we have delivered over the last two decades,” Cox said.
“We protected our AAA bond rating through the great recession, set aside over $1.5 billion in reserve funds, raised teacher pay, and made Virginia one of the best states for business. We have recruited a diverse slate of candidates that reflect the communities they seek to serve, including eight women and two African Americans. We are confident that voters will opt for the leadership and results we have delivered over chaos, embarrassment, and unchecked Democratic control of state government.”