Nothing to See! CBS Touts Virginia Democrat Gerrymander as Ending ‘Fight’ GOP ‘Started’

Curtis Houck
April 21st, 2026 6:16 PM

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Tuesday’s CBS Mornings was the only lead broadcast network morning show to mention Virginia’s special election that, pending voter approval, would gerrymander the commonwealth’s congressional delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to 10 Democrats and one Republican in the name of “fairness.”

Unsurprisingly, the liberal network took their elected allies at their word that it would only be a “temporary” map and it’s only in response to a “national fight started by President Trump and congressional Republicans in Texas.”

Fill-in co-host Matt Gutman made it sound uncontroversial: “Now, voters in Virginia will decide today whether to redraw the state’s Congressional map. Legislature wants to change these districts which were created by an independent commission. The new map will give Democrats control of every congressional seat in the state except one.”

Speaking of benign, here was the wording of the question before voters:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?

Senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe spun from the get-go that this talk of partisan redistricting was a “national fight started by President Trump and congressional Republicans in Texas and other states to redraw congressional maps.”

“Democrats, of course, did it as well in California and now here in Virginia, they’re trying to find another advantage for themselves in the east,” he added.

Following a soundbite of a pro-“yes” ad featuring former President Barack Obama, O’Keefe doubled down, citing GOP redraws in Missouri, North Carolina, and Missouri that “could help the GOP win nearly 10 more seats in November.” Notice how the numbers were not relayed from Democrat gains in California, Utah (via a state judge), or failed attempts in New York.

There are a number of misleading claims here. First, the new Texas congressional map still allows for Democrats to hold at least 21 percent of seats — which is eight out of 38 total seats — when the Lone Star State gave Kamala Harris 42 percent in 2024.

Second, Virginia’s map would leave the GOP with only one seat — or nine percent — when they gave Trump 46 percent of the vote two years ago.

Finally, has O’Keefe seen states such as Illinois? The left’s argument that gerrymandering has been one-sided is, at best, preposterous.

Moving back to O’Keefe, he touted Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger’s support for the mesasure, saying she “wants to change from this current almost evenly divided congressional map to this, giving Democrats a possible 10-1 advantage.”

Here again, O’Keefe left out some information.

Until earlier this year (and thus dating back to her gubernatorial campaign), Spanberger was against gerrymandering.

O’Keefe did provide soundbites from the Republican view, including President Trump and former Governor Glenn Youngkin. O’Keefe said the GOP believe “it’s an unconstitutional power grab as the proposed map expands Democratic-leaning districts in Northern Virginia and squeezes GOP representation into just a single seat.”

When Fairfax County is cracked five different ways, it’s safe to rate this claim as true.

O’Keefe had one more whopper to deliver after a clip of former Attorney General Eric Holder demanding the changes in order to save democracy (or something): “So, important to point out that the question being put to voters here today does call out the fact this is a temporary change, and Virginia’s current redistricting laws would kick back in after the 2030 census is taken.”

If anyone believes Fairfax County will give up being the home of up to five of Virginia’s 11 members of Congress, we have a possibly, soon-to-be-detonated bridge Iran to sell you.

Further, the math reveals a different story O’Keefe and his fellow D.C. elite media wouldn’t be caught conceding.

In California, Trump received 40 percent of the vote in 2024, but their gerrymander now leaves only five seats out of 52 seats for Republicans, which works out to 9.6 percent.

Our friend Matt Whitlock explained last August on X that there are plenty of lopsided House districts in blue states such as New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington state:

2022 Media Research Center Bulldog Award winner Luke Rosiak made a similar point Tuesday morning on X:

To see the relevant CBS transcript from April 21, click “expand.”

CBS Mornings
April 21, 2026
7:14 a.m. Eastern

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Virginia Casts Votes on New Congressional Map]

MATT GUTMAN: Now, voters in Virginia will decide today whether to redraw the state’s Congressional map. Legislature wants to change these districts which were created by an independent commission. The new map will give Democrats control of every congressional seat in the state except one. Ed O’Keefe is at a polling place in Northern Virginia. Ed, good morning.

ED O’KEEFE: Matt, good to see you. If it’s Tuesday, people are voting, and we’re seeing a decent clip of folks show up this morning. This is all is all part of the national fight started by President Trump and congressional Republicans in Texas and other states to redraw congressional maps. Democrats, of course, did it as well in California and now here in Virginia, they’re trying to find another advantage for themselves in the east.

FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [IN AD]: Virginians are turning out in record numbers to vote yes.

ED O’KEEFE: In Virginia, Democrats hope new battle lines can be drawn. It’s a direct response to President Trump’s push for Republicans to redraw congressional districts in states like Texas, North Carolina and Missouri that could help the GOP win nearly 10 more seats in November.

GOVERNOR ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): This year, we saw a President say that he’s entitled to more seats in Congress, because, of course, they all see that the wave is coming.

ED O’KEEFE: Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger wants to change from this current almost evenly divided congressional map to this, giving Democrats a possible 10-1 advantage. President Trump in a radio interview, urged Virginia voters to reject it.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Nobody has ever seen anything like it. It’s so unfair.

O’KEEFE: Republicans say it’s an unconstitutional power grab as the proposed map expands Democratic-leaning districts in Northern Virginia and squeezes GOP representation into just a single seat.

FORMER GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA): The new map is crazy, and what it does is take Northern Virginia and inject it into the entire state.

O’KEEFE: But former Obama era Attorney General Eric Holder, who’s led a nationwide push against these kinds of redraws, now says Virginia’s change is necessary to stop Republicans.

FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 04/19/26]: What were we supposed to do? Nothing?

O’KEEFE: So important to point out that the question being put to voters here today does call out the fact this is a temporary change, and Virginia’s current redistricting laws would kick back in after the 2030 census is taken, Nate, just 196 days to go until Election Day.

NATE BURLESON: All right, Ed, thank you.

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