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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s newly approved legislative maps have triggered a handful of campaign announcements as candidates gauge the new boundaries recently finalized through the once-a-decade redistricting process.
Among those making their plans public Wednesday was U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who said she planned to seek reelection in Virginia’s still-competitive 7th Congressional District, which has been substantially redrawn and shifted north, away from her home and largest base of support in suburban Richmond.
“Nearly 200,000 Virginians in the new Seventh District have already been my constituents under the current district lines, and I look forward to continuing my service representing them as well as my future constituents,” the two-term moderate and former CIA operations officer said in a statement first shared with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Wednesday’s announcements were sure to be just the start of a series of moves, new candidacies and possible retirements given the new boundaries. The two court appointees who drew the maps said they did so without prioritizing incumbency protection; the end product was maps in which some incumbents were matched together while other districts were open.
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The Supreme Court of Virginia announced late Tuesday that it had unanimously approved the maps.
The task had fallen to the court under a new process voters approved last year. The redistricting work started with a newly created bipartisan redistricting commission, but after that group failed to agree on maps for either Congress or the General Assembly, the maps were up to the court.
The maps were drawn by special masters Sean Trende, a GOP nominee, and Bernard Grofman, who was nominated by Democrats. The process also involved public comment both in writing and through hearings before the court. The special masters said in a memo that they took great care to incorporate the comments received.
The new districts take effect immediately, though the court said for any special election — such as one set for Jan. 11 to fill a Norfolk-based House seat — elections officials will need to determine whether the new maps should be used.
Even before the maps were finalized, the 7th District race had drawn a particularly crowded field of GOP challengers. It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday how the entire slate of candidates would shake out, but other Republicans seeking to flip the seat began to weigh in.
State Sen. Bryce Reeves, who initially planned to run for the 7th, then announced his candidacy for a redrawn 10th District, reversed course after seeing the finalized lines, again saying he would be competing in the 7th, his home district.
Amanda Chase, who currently represents a state Senate seat south of Richmond, in November announced her candidacy for the 7th District. She said in a text message Wednesday that she was taking a break for the Christmas holiday and didn’t have any news to share yet.
The Democratic primary field for the 7th District race could also widen, as other possible candidates have signaled their interest.
In other races, U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith announced that he would seek reelection to southwest Virginia’s 9th District.
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