(The Center Square) – A congressional campaign and a high-profile endorsement are drawing attention to a Virginia House district that voters have not yet decided whether to create.
Dorothy McAuliffe, a former State Department official and Virginia’s first lady from 2014 to 2018, announced Wednesday that she is running for Congress in Virginia’s anticipated 7th Congressional District.
Within hours of launching her campaign, McAuliffe secured an endorsement from former Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Dorothy McAuliffe has spent her life fighting for children and families and standing up for people who need someone in their corner,” Pelosi said in a statement. “From tackling childhood hunger to supporting military families and helping survivors of sexual violence find justice, Dorothy has never backed down from the fights that matter. I’m proud to endorse her for Congress.”
The announcement places new attention on a congressional district tied to a statewide referendum scheduled for April 21.
The proposed change would allow the Virginia General Assembly to redraw congressional districts before the next census under certain circumstances. If voters approve the amendment, lawmakers could adjust the current congressional map.
Democratic lawmakers proposed the amendment as a way to allow mid-decade redistricting outside the normal 10-year cycle used to redraw congressional districts.
Virginia Public Access Project analysis based on results from the 2025 governor’s race shows the proposed map would give Democrats an edge in more districts.
Under the current map, the state’s congressional delegation is estimated to include five strongly Democratic districts, two leaning Democratic, one competitive, two leaning Republican and one strongly Republican.
Under the proposed map, that breakdown would shift to five strongly Democratic districts, five leaning Democratic districts and one strongly Republican district.
Because the referendum has not yet been decided and the proposal continues to face legal challenges, candidates are beginning to organize campaigns around district lines that have not yet taken effect.
McAuliffe’s campaign said it raised more than $800,000 from supporters in the first 24 hours after her announcement, a sign of early financial backing even as the district’s final boundaries remain uncertain.
According to the campaign, she also secured endorsements from several Virginia political figures, including Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas, former Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, former Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton and former first ladies Pamela Northam, Lisa Collis and Lynda Johnson Robb.
Virginia’s current 7th Congressional District is represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman and includes parts of Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg region.
If the constitutional amendment is approved and lawmakers redraw the map, the political landscape for the district could change significantly.
For now, voters are deciding whether the redraw authority will exist at all.
The referendum asks Virginians whether the General Assembly should have limited authority to adjust congressional districts before the next census.
Early voting is underway ahead of the April 21 special election.
