Former AG Holder Defends Virginia Redistricting Referendum

Former Attorney General Eric Holder argued that a proposed Democratic-backed redistricting effort in Virginia is a necessary, temporary countermeasure to Republican actions in other states. He made the case during an interview on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on April 19, 2026.

Holder, who serves as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, stated the goal is to allow citizens to decide on the composition of the House of Representatives to create an effective check on the current president.

"This is a time-limited measure for this election and one more election cycle," Holder said, characterizing the Virginia referendum.

A Response to a National "Crisis"

Holder framed the Virginia and California redistricting efforts as a direct response to actions taken by Republican politicians in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. He stated that if the proposed redistricting is not enacted, the national political fight would be unbalanced.

"The fight would not be fair nationally, given what has happened in other states," Holder said, citing the Supreme Court's recent upholding of redistricting maps in both Texas and California.

When Brennan noted Virginia's existing bipartisan redistricting commission and asked about past criticisms of gerrymandering, Holder described the current situation as a crisis.

"We have to deal with the crisis first, and then hopefully we'll get back to a place where we can focus on fairness," he stated, expressing hope for future federal legislation to ban partisan gerrymandering.

Addressing Concerns from Black Voters

The interview referenced an op-ed by Philip Thompson of the National Black Nonpartisan Redistricting Organization, which raised concerns that the proposed Virginia map fails to consolidate black political influence.

Holder directly contested this claim, arguing that preventing another two years of what he described as "unchecked Trump power" is in the best interest of African Americans.

"The claim that this map fails to consolidate black political influence is untrue," Holder stated. He concluded that the broader strategic goal of checking presidential power superseded the specific concern about district consolidation.