In an uncommonly candid and personal response to a query by this newspaper on the collateral consequence of what the redistricting referendum was designed to cause, namely, the moving of the boundaries of his 8th Congressional district out of the City of Falls Church, in an exclusive remark to this newspaper U.S. Rep. Don Beyer said the following:
“I was grief-stricken to lose Falls Church! I am very happy to have the opportunity to represent this wonderful community again.”
So were we, Don, even as we, like you, put the good of the country ahead of ourselves to support the referendum, and still hold out hope that somehow the U.S. Supreme Court will reverse the ill conceived 4-3 decision by the Virginia Supreme Court.
But should the current ruling stand, and the state be required to deny the clear expression of the will of its people as expressed in the April 16 referendum vote, we will take it as a wink from cosmic fate that Beyer stays to represent his original home town, where he launched such a successful political career by first being elected president of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce for a year in the mid-1980s before stunning everybody with a successful underdog run to be elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor in 1990.
Beyer’s statement on last week’s ruling included the following:
“Over the last several weeks and through today, Virginians cast their ballots to defend fairness in the upcoming midterm elections by temporarily adopting new congressional districts. I am grateful to the volunteers, organizers, and everyone else who worked tirelessly to inform voters and drive turnout across the Commonwealth to deliver this result.
“Virginia’s election today stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s efforts to influence November’s Congressional elections by bullying Republican-led legislatures into mid-decade redistricting. Here in Virginia, voters were given the opportunity to decide.
“As I seek re-election in Virginia’s 8th District, I look forward to working to earn the trust and support of communities in the new district – from Arlington to Yorktown – while reconnecting with those I have had the honor of serving, including communities I previously represented as Lieutenant Governor.
“The work we are doing in Congress to protect Virginians from Trump’s attacks is more important than ever, and I am as committed to it today as I have ever been. I will continue to put the needs of Virginians first and fight for progress in our community and our country.”
It is worth noting that the vote in favor of the redistricting effort was more overwhelming in Falls Church and its immediate environs than in almost anywhere else in the state (the Charlottesville area, home to the University of Virginia, slightly exceeded the Falls Church margin) because it is so well understood here the menace and deceit that Trump and his organization represents.
The referendum vote was all about Trump, and so was the vote of the Republican majority Virginia Supreme Court.
