During Wednesday’s episode of “The View,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg voiced her strong opposition to redistricting initiatives from both political parties. Her remarks followed the approval of a redistricting referendum by Virginia voters the day before.
This newly passed measure has the potential to significantly alter Virginia’s congressional representation, which could have far-reaching effects as Republicans and Democrats vie for control of the House.
Goldberg expressed her concerns, saying, “There are genuinely dedicated people who want to serve, but they face uncertainty if the electoral boundaries keep shifting. Let the electoral map remain consistent. Just let it be.” She emphasized, “The choice should be left to the people. The government belongs to us, not the politicians.”
The conversation also touched on the possibility of similar changes occurring in Florida. Goldberg concluded by urging, “Let’s put an end to redistricting. Allow candidates to succeed based on their abilities because manipulation only complicates things further.”
As the show began, Goldberg questioned the ongoing nature of these redistricting efforts and pondered their eventual resolution.
Goldberg, while discussing the news at the start of the show, wondered where it was going to end.
“Where is it going to end? Because Texas did this, then California said, ‘No, we’re going to do this.’ Now, Virginia said, ‘We’ll ask our people what they want,’ as did the folks in California… California people said, ‘Yeah, we don’t like what’s happening,’ So you can’t, you can’t say, you know, clutch your pearls and go, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe you did this.’”
Co-host Sunny Hostin supported the effort by Democrats in Virginia and said Republicans started it.
“The Republican Party did start this in Texas and didn’t do it by the will of the people. They didn’t have an election. They didn’t put it on the ballot. They did it in the legislature and Texas stole – well, redistricted and took five seats.
“So California, which has the GDP of a small country, basically said ‘I’ll see your five and I’m going to get you five,’ so the Democrats got five. I thought it should have ended there,” Hostin said.
She continued, “But if you look at, then North Carolina got involved and Republicans started little by little chipping away, taking away the will of the people, and now you’ve got Virginia saying, we’re going to take it to the people, not the legislature,” Hostin said, pointing to a likely Democratic advantage in the state. “And I’ve got to tell you when they go low, I think you go to the earth’s crust.”
The ballot measure passed in Virginia gives the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the state’s current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.
The referendum, which follows President Donald Trump’s push for mid-decade redistricting in Republican-led states, would give the Democrats four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms as the party tries to win back control of the chamber from the GOP, which currently holds a razor-thin majority.
