Morning Digest: Virginia Democrats' top House recruits are still running despite major map setback

A court ruling blocking the new districts shrinks the battlefield, but Democrats can still flip seats

Virginia Democrat Shannon Taylor says she’ll continue her campaign to flip the 1st Congressional District even though the state Supreme Court struck down a new map that would have made her task easier. (credit: Shannon Taylor campaign site)

Leading Off

VA Redistricting

The Virginia Supreme Court invalidated an April 21 vote in favor of allowing the state to adopt a new congressional map on Friday, dealing a major blow to Democrats’ hopes of flipping four Republican-held seats this fall.

Despite the setback, though, many of the party’s top recruits said they would continue their campaigns, even though the districts they’re seeking will be less friendly than they’d expected them to be.

In a divided 4-3 ruling authored by Justice Arthur Kelsey, the majority held that lawmakers did not act promptly enough when they sought to place the amendment that paved the way for the map on the ballot. The Virginia Constitution requires that the legislators vote twice before an amendment can go before voters: once before an election for the state House, and once after.

Both chambers of the state’s Democratic-run legislature gave their first set of approvals to the amendment shortly before Election Day last fall, with final action taken on Oct. 31. But this, said the majority, was too late, ruling that, because early voting had begun on Sept. 19, the “intervening election” requirement was not met. As a result, the amendment was never properly passed, nullifying last month’s special election.

In a dissent joined by two of his colleagues, Chief Justice Cleo Powell said the majority had improperly “broadened the meaning of the word ‘election,’” putting it “in direct conflict with how both Virginia and federal law define” the term.

Three members of the majority, including Kelsey, were named to the court when Republicans had full control over the legislature while one joined the bench when the body was divided. (In Virginia, justices are elected by separate votes in each chamber of the legislature.)

Powell and one of his fellow dissenters also became justices when the legislature was split, while the third, Junius Fulton, was the sole member confirmed under complete Democratic control.

Democrats quickly told the Virginia Supreme Court that they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Normally, the U.S. Supreme Court does not involve itself in cases where there are no issues of federal law, but election law expert Rick Hasen theorized that Democrats might argue the Virginia Supreme Court overstepped its bounds. Hasen, however, said he anticipated such an argument would fail.

In the likely event that the Virginia ruling stands, the state will once again use the districts that have been in place since 2021. But even before Democrats began moving forward with their plan to alter the map, they began landing high-profile challengers to take on several different Republicans—and none are backing down.

Following the ruling, former Rep. Elaine Luria said she’d keep running against Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans for her old district, the swingy 2nd in the Hampton Roads suburbs.

And in the neighboring 1st District in the Richmond suburbs, a competitive constituency that’s been moving to the left, former Henrico County State’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said she, too, would forge ahead with her bid to oust GOP Rep. Rob Wittman.

Even on much more difficult turf, Democrats are not giving up. Former Rep. Tom Perriello announced that he’d continue his campaign against Republican Rep. John McGuire in the 5th, which voted for Donald Trump by a 56-43 margin in 2024.

Perriello represented a predecessor of this district for a single term after an upset victory in 2008. In the previous presidential election, that version of the 5th went for George W. Bush by the same 56-43 margin.

And in the deep-red 6th, which supported Trump 61-37, journalist Beth Macy said she’d remain in the race against Republican Rep. Ben Cline. (Under the now-invalidated map, Perriello and Macy found themselves running against one another in what would have been a much bluer 6th District.)

The 7th District is a different story. A large number of high-profile Democrats had piled into the race for what they expected would be an open, blue-leaning constituency, but that opportunity is now foreclosed, barring unexpected developments. Most of the contenders issued statements decrying the Supreme Court’s ruling, but none have announced new plans yet.

GOP gerrymandering just keeps getting worse

Redistricting Roundup

AL Redistricting

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill on Friday that would allow Alabama to retroactively cancel its May 19 House primaries and hold new ones if the courts allow the state to replace its congressional map by the summer.

Republicans are eager to use a map they passed in 2023 that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts, the Mobile-to-Montgomery 2nd. Alabama remains barred from using that map by federal court injunctions, but state officials have asked the courts to lift those injunctions.

SC Redistricting

The South Carolina Senate ended the week without voting on an agreement that would allow the legislature to reconvene after its regular session concludes on Thursday and redraw the state’s congressional map to eliminate its only majority-Black district.

Normally, only the governor can summon lawmakers back to work outside of a regularly scheduled session, but by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, the legislature can vote to give itself the power to return later in the year. That’s precisely what the GOP-dominated House did on Wednesday along party lines, after Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said he would not call a special session.

But the following day, the Senate, where Republicans also have a supermajority, did not follow suit and punted the vote, which would have to take place no later than Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey told reporters last week that senators wanted more time to review a map that’s been circulating.

Massey, a vocal opponent of any redraw, also criticized the proposed map, warning that it could backfire on Republicans.

“If you’re making three or four seats competitive, you’re going to get better Democratic candidates, and you’re going to get more money for those candidates,” Massey told the South Carolina Daily Gazette. “And when more money gets spent on the Democratic side, you’re going to affect down-ballot races.”

TN Redistricting

Several Tennessee Democrats—including a pair of rival candidates—have filed a new lawsuit in federal court arguing that it’s too late for the state to change its congressional map this year.

The plaintiffs include Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, who’s challenging Republican Rep. Andy Ogles in the 5th District. Also on the caption are Rep. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Justin Pearson, who’ve been battling for the Democratic nomination in the 9th District, which had been the state’s lone majority-Black district until the passage of the GOP’s new map.

Previously, the NAACP filed a suit in state court on the grounds that lawmakers exceeded the scope of their authority when they passed the map in a special session late last week.

Senate

IA-Sen

Tom Harkin, the last Democrat to represent Iowa in the Senate, has endorsed state Rep. Josh Turek for the seat he held from 1985 until 2015.

Turek faces state Sen. Zach Wahls in the June 2 primary. Three recent polls from Turek and his allies have shown him with double-digit leads, while Wahls and his supporters have not released any contrary data. The two are vying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who succeeded Harkin by defeating Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in the 2014 GOP wave.

Governors

ME-Gov

Two different pairs of Republicans seeking Maine’s open governorship unexpectedly forged alliances last week ahead of next month’s ranked-choice primary—at least, sort of.

In a particularly strange development, one minor candidate, former Paris Town Selectman Robert Wessels, said on Thursday that he was asking his supporters to rank former healthcare executive Jonathan Bush second on their ballots.

But Bush, a nephew of George H.W. Bush, didn’t return the favor. Instead, he announced that Wessels was joining his campaign as his “grassroots chair” for the 2nd Congressional District. Wessels, who’s barely registered in the polls, nonetheless insisted he was staying in the race despite apparently joining Bush’s campaign.

Later that same day, a more traditional coalition emerged when, at a candidate debate, real estate broker David Jones and fitness chain founder Ben Midgley both encouraged their backers to rank the other as their second-choice option.

These alliances came together despite the fact that Maine Republicans have spent years raging at ranked-choice voting, which voters approved at the ballot box in 2016. The frontrunner in the race, attorney Bobby Charles, is among those whose feelings haven’t changed, and he excoriated his rivals for embracing the system.

“If these candidates are willing to manipulate and game ranked choice voting to win a Republican primary, why would anyone believe they would ever truly fight to repeal it as governor?” he said in a statement.

The Portland Press Herald also reported last week that a group affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association called Pine Tree State Prosperity has booked almost $9 million in fall advertising time for the race, according to data from AdImpact. Their counterparts at the Republican Governors Association do not yet appear to have made any similar reservations.

MI-Gov

The two leading Republicans running for Michigan’s open governorship, Rep. John James and businessman Perry Johnson, just got hit with challenges to the voter signatures they submitted to make the August primary ballot—an unwelcome development that derailed Johnson’s last gubernatorial bid four years ago.

The dueling complaints, sent to election officials by supporters of each candidate, both allege that their rivals filed a variety of fraudulent or problematic signatures. Major-party candidates in Michigan must gather at least 15,000 signatures to qualify for the primary in statewide races.

In 2022, a massive signature fraud scandal ended the campaigns of five Michigan Republicans who were hoping to take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that year, including Johnson. That debacle paved the way for the emergence of Tudor Dixon, a far-right radio host who lost to Whitmer by a wide 55-44 margin. Earlier this year, two men were convicted of perpetrating the scheme

Officials will now review the challenges to James’ and Johnson’s signatures, and they’re likely to announce their findings fairly soon. Four years ago, the Bureau of Elections bounced Johnson and his opponents less than four weeks after Democrats questioned his petitions.

WI-Gov

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson finally ended his long flirtation with staging a comeback bid at the age of 84 on Friday when he endorsed Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany for the post he last held a quarter-century ago.

Tiffany, who has Donald Trump’s endorsement, is the consensus GOP pick, while Democrats have a multi-way primary in the race to replace Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

House

FL-12, FL-15

Air Force veteran Darren McAuley, who was waging an uphill battle against Republican Rep. Laurel Lee in Florida’s 15th District, announced on Friday that he would instead take on Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis in the new 12th District, following the adoption of the GOP’s new gerrymandered map.

The redrawn 12th, based in the Tampa area, would have backed Donald Trump by a 57-42 margin in 2024, according to data uploaded to Dave’s Redistricting App. However, it would have backed Trump by a smaller 52-46 spread four years earlier. The new-look 15th, by contrast, would have gone for Trump by an even steeper 59-39 margin in the last election.

Lee, however, still faces a primary challenge from Hernando County Commissioner Steve Champion, who jumped into the race last week after his home turf was moved from Bilirakis’ district into Lee’s.

FL-23

Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel announced on Friday that she’d seek reelection in Florida’s revamped 23rd District, which Republicans just made bluer so that they could turn neighboring districts redder as part of their new gerrymander.

Though Frankel was elected to the old 22nd District, she currently represents about 80% of the new 23rd, which is situated around West Palm Beach and would have voted 56-43 for Kamala Harris. The 77-year-old congresswoman still faces a primary challenge from attorney Victoria Doyle, 60, who also just switched districts.

MI-10

Michigan gubernatorial candidates are not the only ones facing signature challenges (see our MI-Gov item above): Two rivals of former prosecutor Robert Lulgjuraj are questioning the petitions he submitted for his bid for the state’s open 10th Congressional District.

The challenges were filed by a PAC supporting Army National Guard officer Mike Bouchard and by attorney Justin Kirk. Both Bouchard and Kirk are also seeking the Republican nomination to succeed Rep. John James, who is running for governor.

The two allege that Lulgjuraj (pronounced “LOO-jer-eye”) submitted fraudulent signatures and also falsely stated on his nominating petitions that he lives in the city of Sterling Heights.

Rather, they say, Lulgjuraj lives in the neighboring city of Troy, which is just over the line in the adjacent 11th District, noting that he claims a tax exemption for the Troy property that requires it to be his principal place of residence.

In response, Lulguraj told the Detroit News, “I just want to make it clear: I live in Sterling Heights,” saying he temporarily lived in Troy starting in 2021 after his father got divorced but moved back to Sterling Heights at the end of 2024.

MN-02

Former state Sen. Matt Little won the endorsement of Minnesota Democrats at the party’s Saturday convention, but he’ll still face two opponents in the August primary as he seeks to replace Rep. Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District.

Delegates gave Little, known for his progressive views, 63% of the vote on the first ballot, clearing the 60% needed to earn the party’s official endorsement. Among other things, that victory will allow him to use the party’s voter file, but unlike in many other states, the convention has no impact on ballot access.

In fact, before the vote, Little’s two rivals, state Sen. Matt Klein and state Rep. Kaela Berg, both said they planned to forge on to the primary no matter what. Little, by contrast, had said he’d drop out if he didn’t win the Democratic endorsement.

Whoever wins the Democratic nod will defend Craig’s competitive seat in the Minneapolis suburbs against state Sen. Eric Pratt, the only Republican running.

NJ-07

Even though Republican Rep. Tom Kean hasn’t been seen in public in two months, an advisor says that he hasn’t abandoned his campaign for a third term representing New Jersey’s swingy 7th District.

“Of course Congressman Kean is running for reelection,” consultant Harrison Neely told Politico on Friday. “He’s looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail very soon.”

Kean last cast a vote in Congress on March 5. His office told the New Jersey Globe last month that he’s “dealing with a personal medical issue” but has declined to elaborate on the nature of the ailment. Kean aides have also refused to say when he might return to work, though as early as March 20, they told the Globe it would be “soon”—a formulation they’ve continued to repeat ever since.

A large number of Democrats are vying to take on the congressman in a primary that will be decided on June 2.

OH-07

Emily Moreno, the ex-wife of Republican Rep. Max Miller, accused the congressman of years of physical abuse in court documents, according to the Daily Mail, a conservative British tabloid that said it also spoke with three unnamed sources.

Miller called the report “nothing but lies” in a post on X. He also accused Moreno’s father, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, of helping to perpetrate a smear campaign against him.

“It is unfortunate that @berniemoreno continues to fund and enable his daughter’s malicious campaign to ruin my life despite his knowledge of her mental health issues,” he posted.

Late last month, News 5 Cleveland reported that police in the city of Bay Village were investigating allegations of child abuse involving Miller’s daughter. Through an attorney, Miller called the allegations “false.”

In 2021, Miller filed a defamation lawsuit against former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who had published a book saying a former boyfriend of hers had abused her.

Grisham never identified Miller by name, but in his suit, Miller said “it is widely publicly known” that she had been referring to him. In 2023, he voluntarily dismissed his suit with prejudice, meaning he’s barred from filing the same claims again.

Miller faces a challenge in November from Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker and member of the Brook Park City Council.

TX-35

A Republican super PAC that recently began meddling in a pair of Democratic primaries has extended its efforts to the May 26 runoff in Texas’ 35th Congressional District between two Democrats.

Lead Left, which has ties to GOP House leaders, on Friday reported spending more than $40,000 on mailers aimed at boosting antisemitic sex therapist Maureen Galindo, a real phrase we actually just wrote. The expenditure was first flagged by CNN’s Patrick Svitek.

Galindo faces Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia, who recently earned an endorsement from the DCCC. He’s also set to benefit from $100,000 in new advertising by the political arm of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition.

In the first round of voting on March 3, Galindo edged past Garcia 29-27 while two other candidates, Whitney Masterson-Moyes and John Lira, split the difference. Both also-rans have endorsed Galindo.

The San Antonio-area 35th District was one of five Democratic seats that Texas Republicans targeted with their new gerrymander last year. The district was so thoroughly overhauled that fewer than 10% of residents of the old version live in the new one. It also became dramatically redder, prompting Democratic Rep. Greg Casar to seek reelection in the safely blue 37th.

Still, Democrats think they have a shot at defending the district, which would have voted for Donald Trump by a 55-44 margin in 2024 but just 50-48 in 2020. The House Majority PAC recently announced that it had booked more than $6 million in fall ad time in the San Antonio media market, which could be used in this race.

Election Law

New Hampshire

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has signed a bill that would move New Hampshire’s primaries for state and congressional races from early September to the second Tuesday in June, starting in 2028.

Despite being known for its first-in-the-nation presidential primaries, New Hampshire has long held one of the latest primaries for all other races. That’s posed problems for both election administrators and candidates in contested primaries, who’ve always had little time to prepare for the November general election.

That will remain the case this year, as the state’s primary won’t take place until Sept. 8—the day after Labor Day—but things will finally change next cycle.