The Daily Signal - What Gerrymandering Looks Like: Virginia Democrats’ New Map | Joe Thomas

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

Last week, Virginia Democrats unveiled a new congressional map that could flip four of the five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections. However, the Virginia Supreme Court will now determine whether the Democrats’ redistricting plan can proceed after a lower court blocked their efforts, ruling “that the Democrat-led Legislature had wrongly approved a constitutional amendment that would allow for mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts ahead of the midterms this fall,” Politico reported. Virginia state Del. Thomas Garrett Jr., R-Va., joins The Daily Signal’s Virginia correspondent, Joe Thomas, to discuss the implications the proposed congressional map could have on the state’s political makeup heading into the 2026 midterms. 👉For more videos like this, subscribe to The Daily Signal’s YouTube channel and enable notifications to be alerted the second a new video drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Redistricting. You hear so much going on and now we finally have the new map from the Virginia Democratic majority in the House. You have to make sure that you have some majority minority districts. This is actually what started this whole process is that Texas's congressional districts did not meet those standards. So they had to redraw them to make sure there were more minority majority districts. We had a post yesterday that showed the new maps and said Democrats, circa 1880. Hey, let's disenfranchise people. Democrats, circa 2026, hold my beer. I mean, this is the hubris.

You have to laugh at it, right? Redistricting. You hear so much going on. And now we finally have the new map from the Virginia Democratic majority in the House. and thank you for taking a little time with us, and you may say, Joe, it seems like you were wrong when you said earlier in this process that there was a great opportunity and peril for those who would seek to stretch out their districts so far as to take 20% and in one case 40% Democratic Party majority based on historic voter turnout and stretch them to where they're just barely over 50%. So let's go back and take a look at the map as it's drawn. You can see how, if you ever wondered what gerrymandering looked like, you can see it in 3D right here, and especially Virginia's 6th Congressional District, which they've managed to draw to include Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Stanton, Wainsborough,

very little of surrounding Augusta County, and then managed to get it to go all the way down through Lynchburg and Rowan. Oak. And you can see also very small districts right here in the Hampton Roads area, all proportionate by population. But here's the interesting thing first and foremost, since the districting in terms of history had to be managed because when the 1929 permanent reapportionment Act was passed, the intent was to allow for redistricting every 10 years and that they could divide growing black communities who are growing their own prosperity. Then the Voting Rights Act pointed this out and it stopped, but we still have the opportunity to, and one of the laws that govern are redistricting is that you have to make sure that you

have some majority minority districts. This is actually what started this whole process is that Texas's congressional districts did not meet those standards. So they had to redraw them to make sure there were more minority majority districts. In Virginia, the third district is the only one all the way down there in Hampton Roads is the only majority minority district in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Now, I don't know if this is going to bring on a court battle. We've already covered in our previous episode with Ken Cuccinelli what happens next in the court battles. It's been expedited to go right to the Supreme Court to get a quick hearing on it. They have not scheduled that date as of this recording.

What will then happen is the Supreme Court will rule on whether or not the Democratic majority violated any news. number of House rules as ruled on in Daswell earlier this month. Now, the argument is that these are still safe districts. They didn't stretch them as far. They didn't gerrymander them that much. And that's kind of based on these numbers. These numbers are from 2025's elections. You see many of the races, many of the districts would have performed 54, 55, and 50s. percent. However, if you go back to 2021, you will see what I am talking about. You can see districts that in 2021, based on the new lines, are barely more than 50 percent, and in several cases, aren't even Democratic Party majorities at all. Now, that was the election of Governor Yunkin,

But they get to pick their data as they see fit to tell their story. They picked the one where Abigail Spanberger won. So I wanted to show you that these districts are not a fet accompli and that what we talked about earlier in this process, that stretching these districts out to this way, show the graphic again, has created in some view, perhaps a Pollyannic view, the view that says the glasses. half full, not half empty, but great peril for the Democratic Party majority that a motivated Republican Party, who still in most of these districts, didn't turn out beyond 60 percent, could turn and actually win a majority of these seats. You see a couple of them who we didn't bother doing the math war because they were clearly either to the Democrat or the Republican side. The ninth district is the one that they point to.

as well, that will be the safe Republican district amongst the 10 other Democrat majority districts that they are all counting on to flip Virginia's congressional delegation. Now, again, this puts the cart before the horse because there are still court battles going on, but I just want you to keep looking at that 2021 result and understand that even a moderately motivated Republican Party was able to take several of these districts, even as they stand now, in the newly drawn iteration, would have gone to the Republican Party. And many of them are close enough that a voter turnout that even is a little bit more like what happened during the presidential election could see quite a perilous position. We caught up with one of the leaders of the

battle against this redistricting. Virginia 56th district delegate and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tom Garrett. And Tom, good morning, sir. How are you doing today? Joe, I think if there's a silver lining to any of this, it's that getting a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives on the radio show might just get a whole lot easier. Are you thinking that your district could be in peril next? Well, I mean, look, I'm pulling for all the Republicans in this instance, it's not because the Republicans, but because I think people's votes should actually be representative of the people that live in areas, you know, call me crazy.

Crazy. But, yeah, it's, thank you. It's been, it's been said before. It's just, you know, we said this, we had a post on Delegate Tom Garrett on Facebook, which you really should be following whether you're in Virginia or not. We had a post yesterday that showed the new maps and said, Democrats, circa 1880, hey, let's disenfranchise people. Democrats, circa 2026, hold my beer.

I mean, this is the hubris. You have to laugh at it, right? I mean, ultimately, we have to recognize that we won't always be here and that God's in charge. And no matter what happens, if we do things right on the airplane, We're really going to enjoy the trip when we get there. So this is just, it's literally insane. Well, so here's the thing.

So a lot of our friends in the Commentariat are saying, look at these maps. They're all majority Democrat seats. And the reason I brought up the fact that Virginia doesn't register to vote by party is they're basing this on last year's election. And last year's election, number one, had a voter turnout statewide of about 52 percent. and it went really badly for Republicans. So if you use those numbers, I already knew that. Well, yeah, you live it every day in the General Assembly.

But if you base your theorem on those numbers, you're, of course, going to say, well, it's 10 congressional seats that are going to flip to the Democrats. But I went and I did some back-of-the-napkin math here. and I've only done five of the districts that they're pointing to, five of the 11. And in each case, their premise that these are all 52 to 55 to 56 percent Democrat majority precincts doesn't pencil out if you go back to the 2021 gubernatorial election that Glenn Yonkin won. Several of them aren't even Democrat majorities anymore. So I think there is a great opportunity if the court cases in Virginia aren't upheld.

In the Supreme Court, we had Ken Cuccinelli on last week who said he believes that they will be upheld the battle against this premise. Maybe these maps help the judges look at them and go, oh, this is nuttier than a bag of cornmeal. that even in that case, you've got districts that were never in play before that are 50-50 all of a sudden if you base it on the 2020 election results and even if 2021 and even in some cases newly created Republican majority precincts. Am I just being a Pollyanna about it, Tom? Yes. Thanks. Let me say this. I mean, just from life experience, you know, as the Democrats like to say it, my own lived experience, you know, I've been cocky and I've been humble and better things tend to happen when I'm humble.

So maybe there's a lesson coming here for some people on the other side of the aisle. But I think this is all about 2027. Republicans in Virginia are going to underperform. form when when Donald Trump's in the White House, whether we like it or not. I happen to very much like the guy and think he's doing an exceptional job, the lowest murder rate since 1900. Wow. Right.

And your drug, your drug overdose deaths have gone. I mean, there's never been a drop like the drop in drug overdose, those tests. Let me digress for a second. The New York Times headline is lowest murder rate in 126 years, comma, no one really knows why. I would like to explain it to them if they'd like. But anyway, just the, just the. the lemmings are running the ship the movie idiocry has become a cautionary tale it's like jonathan swift or voltair but for the 21st century um and so you say don't dig deep enough to understand what the

truth is and so they at least in virginia reflexively recoil uh against it um right it's i i think that that they're going to get their 10 seats if this if this goes through i'm optimistic that the courts are going to put the brakes on it too, but we'll see. But, you know, again, I mean, this really just underscores the fact that if you care about your natural law right to defend yourself, your family and your freedom, if you care about the life of God's most sacred creation, the innocent child in utero, then maybe you should vote. We had the votes.

in a D plus 30 district to pick up a D plus 30, but we had the votes in a special election to pick up a Senate seat that would have stopped all of this in January. And there people turned out and ours didn't. So what do they have to say? And I'm going to ask kind of an abstract question because you've seen it. You've been in the Virginia Senate. You've been in the Virginia House. you've been in the U.S. house, what is it that's not? You have won every election you've ever been in.

What needs to be said to get people? And I'm going to hang on to you for a second here because my cruel mistress, the clock on the wall, is going to crimp us a little bit here. But we're visiting Tom Garrett. What's the Twitter handle you said everyone should be following? You should go to Dell T. Garrett on TikTok. I've just got on like a week ago after Donald Trump wrestled from the control of the Chinese.

And then delegate Tom Garrett on Facebook, we've had a 36,000 percent growth just from our four speeches in the last 10 days. Oh, wow. And I got people going, I'm following you from Texas. I'm following you from Massachusetts, but don't tell anybody. So delegate, Tom Garrett.

Well, I appreciate it. So the abstract, you know, What I wanted to get at, though, Tom, is what is it that this 48, 50% of the population isn't hearing that isn't getting them out to the polls? Well, so you can do a lot of things if people lie to you constantly. You can believe them. We call those people Democrats. You can get angry. We call those people Republicans.

Or you can just stop listening. And we call those people the 50% that aren't voting. Right. And so the whole thing we try to do. And so let me circle back to that. This is really eerily reminiscent of post-Civil War Jim Crow-era disenfranchisement. You literally have a group of the population who has intentionally decided to work within the quote law, unquote, to stymie the voices to silence another very large group of the population.

And I think that's antithetical to the American experience, the American dream. voters need to think that. Okay. You just got to communicate honestly with it and then they'll listen. So is it a pox on both houses? Is that what's happening with the folks who throw up their hands and say, the hell with it? I'm just going to stash stuff in my basement. Democrats lie to you and Republicans lack the courage to tell you the truth, which is worse, right? So, I mean, I did a speech on the Second Amendment yesterday where I pointed out that it was the slave code, literally, that started gun control in the United States. You weren't allowed to sell guns to a person of African descent. You weren't allowed to sell guns to indigenous people. And why? Because a group of people decided

that they didn't want the air quotes wrong people, unquote, to have firearms because then they might be able to defend themselves, right? And everybody goes, oh, you're so brave to say it. Really? Was I brave to tell the truth? Well, I get censured. Have I sat until last? for every single bill that I've had heard this session, yes and yes. I don't care. Will Jay Jones single me out for a malicious prosecution? What? Better people than me have died for worse things.

I'm waiting for them to accuse me if something I didn't do. It's been happening for a while. I don't care. And so ultimately, I'll be judged by my God. And so why do I need to be afraid of man? Yeah, that's the best way to be. But that's what people want. People follow leaders.

trying to lead. Well, and that's the thing is we are all capable of being leaders. And that's what I think, from where I said, and maybe this is a more populous message, that I think, you know, we have to realize what is being done and that disenfranchisement is real. And there are many eddies and currents of it. But right now, this is, as you said, in the last segment, here hold my beer. You know, we've got it. We're going to, you know, it's almost like the hairband era of the 80s and early 90s, live fast and leave a good-looking corpse. Last point, I want to go back to 2026 because impeaching the president, removing him from office is all going to be on the ballot if they take four seats away from Republicans in Virginia and do it in other states.

But I think if we can get those other 50 people to realize what's happening, the Republicans could actually take nine seats in Virginia's congressional delegation just based on the numbers that turned out in 2021 when Glenn Yonkin won the governor's mansion. Am I wrong? I just don't. Yeah, I understand your point. And if this was the young, if this was 2021 and not 2027 coming up, oh boy, right. But I just think that the historical trends show us that if people spend a billion dollars screaming orange man bad that tragically better than 51 percent of virginians go okay at least those who vote all right we don't have a my pursuit by the people but by the people who show up he is the man who says not only is the glass half empty but who the hell took the other half uh he is a delegate tom

garrot what's the facebook and twitter and uh and uh ticton i'm telling you all i mean please go and check out the speeches on Facebook. You will laugh and you might learn something. Well, I appreciate it. So the abstract, you know, what I wanted to get at, though, Tom, is what is it that this 48, 50% of the population isn't hearing that that isn't getting them out to the polls? Well, so if you, you can do a lot of things that people lie to you constantly. You can believe them. We call those people Democrats. You can get angry. We call those people. Republicans or you can just stop listening and we call those people the 50% that aren't voting right and so the whole thing we try to do and and so let me circle back to that um this this is

this is really early reminiscent of of post civil war jim crow era disenfranchised but you literally have a group of the population who is intentionally decided to work within the quote law unquote to stymie the voices to silence another very large group of the population. And I think that's antithetical to the American experience, the American dream. The voters need to think that. Okay. You just got to communicate honestly with it, and then they'll listen.

So is it a pox on both houses? Is that what's happening with the folks who throw up their hands and say, the hell with it? I'm just going to stash stuff in my basement. Democrats lie to you, and Republicans lack the courage to tell you the truth, which is worse. Wow. Right. So, I mean, I did a speech on the Second Amendment yesterday where I pointed out that it was the slave code, literally, that started gun control in the United States. You weren't allowed to sell guns to a person of African descent. You weren't allowed to sell guns to indigenous people. And why? Because a group of people decided that they didn't want the air quotes wrong people, unquote, to have firearms because then they might be able to defend themselves, right? And everybody goes, oh, you're so brave to say. it. Really? Was I brave to tell the truth? Will I get censured? Have I sat until last for every single bill that I've had heard this session? Yes and yes. I don't care. Will Jay Jones single me out

for malicious prosecution? What? Better people than me have died for worse things. I'm waiting for them to accuse me if something I didn't do. It's been happening for a while. I don't care. And so ultimately, I'll be judged by my God. And so why do I need to be afraid of man? Yeah, that's that's the best way to be. But that's what people want. People follow leaders. I'm trying to lead. Well, and that's the thing is we are all capable of being leaders.

And that's what I think, from where I said, and maybe this is a more populous message, that I think, you know, we have to realize what is being done. And that disenfranchisement is real. And there are many eddies and currents of it. But right now, this is, as you said in the last segment, here hold my beer. You know, we've got it. We're going to, you know, it's almost like the hairband era of the 80s and early 90s, live fast and leave a good looking corpse. Last point, I want to go back to 2026 because impeaching the president, removing him from office is all going to be on the ballot if they take four seats away from Republicans in Virginia and do it in other states. but I think if we can get those other 50 people to realize what's happening, the Republicans could actually take nine seats in Virginia's congressional delegation just based on the numbers that turned out in 2021 when Glenn Yonkin won the governor's mansion.

Am I wrong? I just don't. Yeah, I understand your point. And if this was the young, if this was 2021 and not 2027 coming up, oh boy. right um but i just think that the historical trends show us that if the if people spend a billion dollars screaming orange man bad that tragically better than 51 percent of virginians go okay at least those who vote all right we don't have a democracy by the people but by the people who show up he is the man who says not only is the glass half empty but who the hell took the other half

uh he is a delegate tom carrot what's the facebook and twitter and uh and uh tick don't get Delegate, I'm telling you all, I mean, please go and check out the speakers on Facebook. You will laugh and you might learn something. Delegate, Tom Garrett on Facebook, and then Twitter is Dell T, all one word D-E-L-T, Garrett, who are CTs. I don't really mind if you spell my name wrong, but it doesn't help. See, this is what I have to learn about our YouTube channel, Joe Thomas in America, is I've got to promote it, but I've got to tell people you, I don't like it because otherwise the algorithm. Our YouTube channel is coming soon, but that is not an official channel.

And that one is Tom drops bombs on YouTube. Tom drops bombs. I like that one too. And yes, algorithm is supposed to rhyme with Al Gore. You have a great morning, Tom. Thank you for everything. Joe, I love you. You're my friend.

God bless you. So, and great contrast in styles, I think there is the view. point that I wake up every morning is, we can fix this. It isn't hard to fix it. And Tom's right, though, equally that when you're dealing with folks who are busy. And this is the importance of our electronic media and why it is so important to share stories with your friends. I know people are, oh, I don't want to share this on social media. I'll get canceled or whatever. Don't share something that says vote for a Republican or a Democrat, share something that says, is this voter suppression? Pick up on that. That's a great point that Tom used. Is this really Jim Crow 2.0

where we're disenfranchising huge swaths of a population from their voice in the House and Senate?