An Architect of Virginia’s Redistricting Will Run for a New Seat Himself

An architect of Virginia’s aggressive redistricting scheme will announce on Wednesday that he intends to run for one of the newly drawn Democratic seats himself. Dan Helmer, a four-term state delegate who played a key behind-the-scenes role in last October’s surprise move to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps, is entering the race for the lobster-shaped Seventh Congressional District that would be created if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting.

A top ally to Don Scott, the Virginia House speaker, Mr. Helmer served as campaigns chairman for the Virginia House Democratic Caucus as the party took control of the chamber in 2023 and then flipped 13 more Republican-held seats last November. He helped devise and implement the redistricting strategy and marshaled support in Richmond for the first set of votes on the amendment, though he later recused himself from the map-drawing process.

United States, Virginia

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