Did the Supremes just kill the Dems chances at winning the House in Nov?

If Voldemort wraps up Iran and reopens the Straits the Dems may very well be going down. If not, there's hope...for them.

Yes, the Dark Lord's polling numbers are rock bottom, but I take that with a grain of salt. The alternative being sold isn't great?

Dems' disaster scenario

By Hans Nichols, Axios News

May 8, 2026

Hakeem Jeffries' bid to win a House majority in November was dealt what Democrats are acknowledging was a major setback this morning:

The Virginia Supreme Court struck down a congressional map that would have netted them as many as four seats

Why it matters: The decision is a huge boost to Republicans' chances of keeping the House: Even some Democrats now concede that they basically need to run the table in November.

🚨 Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement, "We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision. No matter what it takes."

"Damn, California and Virginia were supposed to be our bigger ones," one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid getting out ahead of their leadership, said in a phone interview just after the ruling was released.

🌊 "This means we gotta make sure we have a good wave to win the House ... we have to make sure we win a lot of those toss-ups," the lawmaker said. "Democrats now have to pitch a perfect game."

Another House Democrat, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, offered a one-word reaction in a text message to Axios: "F*****ck!!"

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement: "This is a setback that sends a terrible message to Americans — the powerful and elite will do everything they can to silence you."

🚗 Driving the news: The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the results of an April referendum that temporarily suspended the state's independent redistricting commission.

Democrats had been aiming to implement maps that would turn their party's current 6-5 edge in the state's U.S. House delegation into a 10-1 advantage as a way to counter GOP redistricting in Texas and elsewhere.

"Democrats cannot take a midterm victory for granted," said a third House Democrat, adding that "relying too much on the administration's unpopularity and not enough of their own positive agenda could put an otherwise sure victory at risk."

🤢 Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) called the ruling "sickening" and said it is "clearly a disappointment."

💰 The intrigue: The ruling even has some lawmakers questioning the wisdom of Democrats spending $62.5 million to push the Virginia redistricting referendum — including nearly $40 million from Jeffries-aligned 501(c)4 House Majority Forward.

"I feel like this is a colossal waste of resources that will further erode our politics," a fourth House Democrat told Axios, referring to the entire nationwide redistricting battle.

"How many millions of dollars are we spending on this when the DNC is in debt and we have 40 frontline races to win?"

Yes, but: Many Democrats are still optimistic their party can win a big enough wave in November to overcome what is now a daunting structural disadvantage.

"Trump will still have to deal with a Democratic majority in the House come November," Veasey said.

Said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.): "In spite of all the redistricting machinations, I think we will take back the House."

The bottom line: This may still be a lose-lose for Jeffries, with even lawmakers who are optimistic about retaking the House acknowledging he will likely have — at best — an agonizingly narrow majority.

"Everybody will exert their pressure," the first House Democrat said.

Just ask House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) how much fun that has been for him.