Ex-Gov. Youngkin calls Virginia redistricting referendum 'illegal and unconstitutional' on Sean Hannity podcast

Gavin Stone, The Virginian-Pilot on Apr 8, 2026

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NORFOLK, Va. — Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin leveled sharp criticism against his successor, Gov. Abigail Spanberger, and called the April 21 redistricting referendum she’s championed “illegal and unconstitutional” during a recent appearance on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s podcast.

Youngkin again dodged questions about a future run for president or joining a future Republican presidential administration during the nearly hour-long, wide-ranging conversation on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” which was taped March 9 and posted to YouTube and other streaming services Tuesday.

The former governor said he’s focused on helping Republicans keep the House and Senate in 2026 and expressed support for Vice President J.D. Vance as the Republican nominee for president in 2028 as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the vice presidential pick.

“I never was going to run (for president) in 2024,” Youngkin said. “I so agree with what Vice President Vance has been saying — and, by the way, the president and Marco, which is: 2026 requires all of our attention, and folks that are looking past to 2028 are missing the whole trick — it’s today. It’s today. We’ve got to hold our House and we’ve got to hold our Senate.”

Top of mind for Youngkin is the upcoming April 21 referendum to amend the state constitution to allow the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts ahead of the November midterm elections. Democrats are hoping a new map will be approved that would give them an advantage in 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, based on the results of the 2024 presidential election, going into November.

The referendum, which is still facing a lawsuit from Republicans, would allow the General Assembly’s power to redraw congressional maps to expire in 2030, after which the Virginia Redistricting Commission would resume the duty. Proponents of the amendment argue that it is a response to Republican redistricting efforts in states including North Carolina, Texas, Missouri and Ohio, undertaken at the behest of President Donald Trump to give Republicans an advantage in the midterms.

Youngkin told Hannity the referendum is unconstitutional because the first vote on it occurred after the voting had already begun in the November 2025 gubernatorial election, saying “(Democrats) tried to package that up as a legitimate first vote — it’s not.”

“With that said I’m terribly frustrated with our Supreme Court in Virginia who refused to take this up and opine on it in time, they said they’ll opine on it later,” Youngkin continued. “I just think they’re being weak here, they need to stand up for the constitution. But we have a referendum now on the 21st of April and we’ve got to go to work and help everybody understand that this is bad for Virginia so you’ve got to vote ‘no’ on this referendum.”

Speaking about Spanberger’s record, Youngkin said the first six weeks of her administration “felt like six decades” and later accused her of “opening up the jails, letting everybody vote, reducing school safety, turning Virginia into a sanctuary state, raising taxes, and driving away business.”

“They’re doing everything they can to advance a progressive agenda which we know doesn’t work,” Youngkin said.

He touted his own administration’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, claiming that it resulted in between 5,000 and 7,000 arrests of violent criminals who were in the country illegally, and drew a comparison between Spanberger, who ended Virginia’s cooperation with ICE, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“People weren’t protesting in the streets (in Virginia during Youngkin’s governorship) because we were doing it the right way and collaborating,” Youngkin said. “When you see folks like what happened in Minnesota … I mean the governor of Minnesota, if he had worked with the federal government, could’ve had the exact same results (as Virginia) but no, he chose not to. He chose to turn it into a fight.”