CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — In the wake of the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the voter-approved redistricting amendment, political figures from both Charlottesville and across the Commonwealth have shared their reactions.

The decision will keep Charlottesville and Albemarle County in the 5th District, where it is currently represented by Republican Rep. John McGuire. If the proposed maps had passed, the city and county would have moved to the redrawn 6th, currently represented by Republican Rep. Ben Cline, setting up a Democratic primary showdown between former Congressperson Tom Perriello and author Beth Macy. Now, McGuire will face Perriello in the 5th, and Cline will face Macy in the 6th.

McGuire shared his support for the decision in a statement, stating that the referendum’s narrow results reinforced that Virginians “don’t want partisan politicians drawing our maps.”

“The Redistricting Commission was created to ensure all Virginians’ voices are heard, and thanks to the Virginia Supreme Court, that will not change,” he said. “Virginia Democrats’ hasty, dishonest, and illegal attempts to redraw our maps proved how desperate they are to take away our representation. Democrat politicians in Virginia tried to cheat by violating our constitution but thank God they didn’t get away with it.”

He went on to commend the court for “upholding the constitution and standing up for the voices of every voter in our Commonwealth,” and thanked those “who worked so hard to get out the NO vote.”

Rather than directly criticize the decision, Perriello took the opportunity in a statement to reaffirm his commitment to run in the 5th against McGuire, stating that he has been clear since the start of his campaign that he would “respect the will of the voters and the courts.” He then went on to directly attack McGuire.

“For months, I have been listening to families across Danville to Charlottesville who are struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “I have been hearing from farmers hit by tariffs and fertilizer prices, parents choosing between groceries or gas, and young people wondering if their generation will ever be able to afford a home. They do not expect Washington to solve every problem, but they are furious that McGuire and this corrupt Congress have made things so much worse. This district deserves a fighter who will take on the corruption and the chaos to bring down costs for everyone.”

Like McGuire, Cline also expressed his approval of the decision.

“This is the correct decision, and it was always going to end up this way,” he said in a statement. “Democrats broke laws that they helped write in the first place, blew through deadlines, wrote a biased and misleading ballot question, and lied to the voters in all of their advertising to support the referendum. The voters of Virginia banned gerrymandering six years ago, and that ban remains in effect today. This is a great day for fair elections and the rule of law, and it’s a great day for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Cline’s upcoming Democratic opponent, Macy, expressed anxiety over the decision and its ramifications.

“I’m not a lawyer, and I won’t pretend to have all the answers on what comes next legally,” she said in a statement. “What I do know is this: the country is on fire, and decisions like this one represent another serious step backward. I got into this race because my neighbors urged me to help turn this country around — and that doesn’t change based on a court ruling.

She went on to criticize Cline, calling him “a lapdog for the forces that are working to rig elections, undermine democracy, and enrich themselves.”

Spanberger, other statewide officials respond

Gov. Abigail Spanberger also weighed in, expressing her disappointment in the ruling.

“More than three million Virginians cast their ballots in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, and the majority of Virginia voters voted to push back against a President who said he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress with a temporary and responsive referendum. They made their voices heard,” she said in a statement.

She added her focus is now on ensuring all voters “have the information necessary to make their voices heard” during the Midterm Elections this November, where she said voters “will have the final say.”

From the General Assembly, House of Delegates GOP leader Terry Kilgore echoed the sentiment of McGuire and Cline.

“Today’s ruling establishes once again that the Constitution of Virginia means what it says,” he said. “The rule of law requires that Virginians have an opportunity to review a Constitutional Amendment before they vote for the House of Delegates in a meaningful way. You cannot violate the Constitution to amend the Constitution.”

In contrast, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement the decision “silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth.” He said the “Republican-led majority” of the court contorted the language of the Virginia Constitution and Code of Virginia to “give it a meaning that was never intended.”

“The strength and stability of our democracy depends on adherence to the rule of law, the execution of free and fair elections where every eligible voter can cast their ballots to choose their leaders, and public trust in the institutions that provide accountability and protect our democratic processes,” he said. “This Court’s ruling follows a dangerous trend of tilting power away from the people.”

He ended his statement by saying his team is carefully reviewing the order and examining every legal pathway forward.

Views conflict across the aisle

Albemarle County Republican Committee Chairman Phil Riese directly disagreed with Jones’ view of the decision,

“Attorney General Jay Jones says this ruling ‘silences the voices’ of voters. The opposite is true,” Riese said in a statement. “It was the General Assembly that silenced 1.3 million early voters by passing a constitutional amendment 42 days after voting in the November 2025 general election had already begun, denying those voters any opportunity to weigh it when choosing their delegates. The Constitution requires deliberation. Virginia got a stunt instead

Riese said the General Assembly “broke the rules, plain and simple,” and called Friday “a good day for the Commonwealth, and a good day for every Virginian who believes their vote should count.”

Virginians for Fair Elections called Friday “a deeply troubling moment for Virginia, the nation, and our entire democracy,” criticizing the court for going against the results of the referendum.

“This is exactly what voters were rejecting: politicians and legal technicalities being used to override the will of the people and disenfranchise voters,” the organization said in a statement. “It comes at a moment when voting rights are already imperiled nationwide — when the U.S. Supreme Court is weakening voter protections, and MAGA politicians in other states are drawing maps without any public input at all.

“Virginians did everything right. They participated. A majority voted YES to stop [President Donald] Trump’s power grab. And they deserve to be heard.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA.) also criticized the State Supreme Court, asserting that if it had concerns about the referendum, it should have halted it before Virginians cast their votes.

He also said the timing of the decision “speaks volumes,” as it came just over a week after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana. That decision undermines Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires maps to include districts in which minority populations’ preferred candidates can win.

“The U.S. Supreme Court eviscerates the Voting Rights Act in a lawsuit brought by a January 6 extremist and Southern states race to craft backroom deals disenfranchising minority voters and candidates,” Kaine said. “Meanwhile Virginia voters choose to stand up against national disenfranchisement only to see their votes cast into the trash by a 4-3 ruling.

“A sad day indeed but I’m proud of Virginians’ willingness to stay true to our state’s motto after 250 years. That spirit is needed now more than ever.”