John McGuire

Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., said the Virginia Supreme Court's decision to throw out a Democrat-drawn congressional map preserved his rural district and blocked what he called an unconstitutional power grab, telling Newsmax's "The Count" on Saturday that Democrats "tried to cheat" and were "trying to steal" before the ruling came down.

The 4-3 ruling Friday struck down the voter-approved redistricting referendum, finding that the legislature violated procedural requirements by placing the constitutional amendment on the April 21 ballot.

The court said early voting is part of an "election" under the state constitution, meaning lawmakers acted before the required intervening election.

The justices said the violation "incurably taints" the referendum.

McGuire said the map would have transformed his 5th District, which he won by roughly 15 points in 2024, into a heavily Democratic seat and silenced rural voters in a state where farming, agriculture, and forestry are the largest industries.

He credited President Donald Trump and former Gov. Glenn Youngkin with helping drive turnout against the measure.

The proposed map would have shifted Virginia's congressional delegation from a 6-5 Democratic edge to as much as a 10-1 edge, giving Democrats up to four additional seats.

Outside groups poured nearly $100 million into the campaign, and the state spent about $5.2 million on the special election.

"Hakeem Jeffries doesn't care about truth. He just wants power. And the Supreme Court did the right thing," McGuire said, adding, "Why have a Constitution if you can ignore the law?"

He said Democrats should reimburse Virginia taxpayers for the cost of the special election.

"I think they should pay that money back because the Supreme Court signaled in the beginning, like, this is wrong, and the Democrats pushed it through anyway. They should pay back the taxpayers," he said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the ruling "an unprecedented and undemocratic action that cannot stand" and accused MAGA Republicans of adopting voter suppression as a strategy.

McGuire said the criticism missed the point, arguing the court ruled on constitutional procedure, not partisan grounds.

"They tr[ied] to confuse people with misleading ballot language. And of course, they violated six parts of our Constitution," he said.

Virginia Democrats, led by House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones, filed a motion late Friday asking the Virginia Supreme Court to stay its ruling and signaled plans for an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"They just tried to rush this thing through without following the law. And, you know, the Democrats keep talking about affordability," he noted.

The current 6-5 map will remain in place for the November midterms unless that appeal succeeds.

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