“What happens in Virginia may very well shape the outcome for the mid-term elections for Congress and the country as a whole,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.
“In many ways, what happens in Virginia may very well be the deciding factor in terms of which party controls Congress next year,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “If the amendment passes, that’s a significant advantage for Democrats going into those November 2026 midterms.”
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, says the outcome now hinges on how many people show up to vote on Tuesday. “Early voting has been comparable to the early voting for the governor’s race last November, but there may be a significant drop-off for Election Day voting between November of last year and April this year,” Farnsworth says. “Candidates often bring more voters to the polls than policy topics do.”
“The governor’s amendments have been laser-focused on building up her image as a moderate Democrat,” and “suggest Democrats in the legislature are going too far and too fast,” said Steve Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.
Campaigns on both sides are spending a lot of money on advertising, according to Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at University of Mary Washington.
“What you’re seeing is an effort on the part of pro-amendment folks to really tie this to the actions of Texas and President Trump to level the playing field in their words,” Farnsworth said. “Whereas the anti-movement is very focused on pointing out the departure of this proposed constitutional amendment from previous efforts to reduce partisan gerrymandering in Virginia.”
“The ‘yes’ side has raised far more money and is spending a lot on TV ads,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist. “The ‘no’ side hasn’t had as much money, and as a result has focused on social media and a few public events.”
