Memo · News · Press Release

MEMO: Voters of Color and Young Voters Power YES Campaign to Victory in VA, Foreshadowing Their Role in a Democratic Win in November

DCCC MEMORANDUM

To: Interested Parties
From: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Date: April 23, 2026
Subject: Voters of Color and Young Voters Power YES Campaign to Victory in VA, Foreshadowing Their Role in a Democratic Win in November

Virginia voters made their voices heard and resoundingly rejected Donald Trump and national Republicans’ attempts to rig the midterm elections in their favor. The successful passage of the redistricting referendum positions Democrats to flip four seats in Virginia, a critical piece in our path back to the House majority. Notably, this win was powered by enthusiasm and support from Latino, Black, AAPI, and young voters – affirming what we’ve seen across the country: Republicans are hemorrhaging support from voters who swung their way in 2024 and will turn out to support Democrats in 2026.

The “Yes” campaign’s success in winning over Latino, Black, AAPI, and young voters demonstrates two points that should terrify Republicans heading into November.

  1. Trump and Republican success with key voting blocs of Black, AAPI, Latino, and young voters in 2024 was a mirage, not a baseline for support in 2026.
  2. National Republicans’ gerrymandering scheme is deeply unpopular with voters, and the backlash from their efforts to rig the midterms in their favor will help power Democrats to victory.

Early analysis indicates Latino, Black, AAPI, and young voters are overwhelmingly souring on Republicans and will be a determinative factor in swing districts all across the country. The results are especially noteworthy in the face of Republicans’ desperate attempts to spread misinformation through racist and deceptive ads targeting Black voters.

  • The two most Latino localities in the commonwealth saw the two largest overperformances of the 2024 top of the ticket margin. In Manassas Park, where Latino voters make up 31% of the city, voters swung heavily towards “Yes,” voting 66% in favor of the referendum, an +11.5-point overperformance of Harris’s margin. In Manassas City (25% Latino), “Yes” overperformed Harris by 8.5 points. 
  • In Virginia’s eight majority Black localities, voters overwhelmingly supported the redistricting effort, voting 68% in favor of the referendum, a +36 point margin. In the two largest majority-Black localities, Hampton and Portsmouth, “Yes” outperformed the 2024 top of the ticket by 0.5 points and 1.9 points, respectively.
  • The “Yes” campaign also saw shifts in counties with significant AAPI populations, with the two most AAPI localities, Fairfax County (20% AAPI) and Loudoun County (20% AAPI), overperforming Harris by +3.0 margin points and +4.5 margin points, respectively.
  • The youth vote was strongly in favor of the referendum. In counties with significant youth populations (more than 30% of voters under 30), voters supported “Yes” by a +14.2 point margin. Notably, voters in Harrisonburg (James Madison University) and Charlottesville (UVA) supported the “Yes” campaign by larger margins than the 2024 top of the ticket.

BOTTOM LINE: On Tuesday, Virginians made their voices heard and voted for a fair, temporary process that creates a clear path to flip four seats that will help Democrats reclaim control of the House majority. This result was powered by key electoral constituencies, including Latino, Black, AAPI, and young voters that Democrats need to make up ground with in order to win decisively in 2026. The “Yes” referendum results prove that Democrats are on a path to do just that.

###