Barack Obama Faces Backlash for Praising Virginia Gerrymander Vote as Standing Up ‘for Our Democracy’

Barack Obama is facing sharp criticism after weighing in on Virginia’s controversial redistricting vote.

The 63-year-old former president took to X on Tuesday, April 21, to praise voters after a narrowly approved congressional map aims to significantly reshape the state’s political landscape.

“Congratulations, Virginia!” Obama wrote. “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”

The new map is expected to shift Virginia’s current 6-5 Democratic majority in the House delegation to a projected 10-1 split, prompting backlash from critics who argue the districts are heavily gerrymandered.

Gerrymandering is when politicians draw voting district lines in a sneaky way to help their own party win.

Conservative voices quickly pushed back on Obama’s comments. Former Trump administration official Tricia McLaughlin took to X and questioned, “Is that ‘equity?’”

Commentator Michael Knowles also weighed in, mocking Obama’s message.
“Congratulations, Virginia you just disenfranchised virtually every Republican at the congressional level — democracy!” he shared to X.

Meanwhile, former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also cried foul and urged the state’s Supreme Court to intervene. “I urge the Virginia Supreme Court to rule against this unconstitutional process,” he wrote on X, “that will disenfranchise millions of Virginians.”