Gerrymandering: Blame Game

Charlie Diradour's campaign against Rep. Eric Cantor got off to an amusing start when voters learned the Democratic challenger does not live in the 7th Congressional District. Rather, he lives in the 3rd. "I don't live in the district because they gerrymandered the district 10 years ago," he explained.

Diradour is correct to cite gerrymandering, but his history seems less than precise. The crucial redistricting occurred after the 1990 Census -- almost 20 years ago. The maps reflecting the 2000 Census preserved the previous framework.

The 3rd District traditionally corresponded to the Richmond metropolitan area; the 7th was based in the foothills and the Valley. For many years Democrat Dave Satterfield represented the 3rd with distinction. In 1980, Republican Tom Bliley won the election to fill a vacancy created by Satterfield's retirement. Bliley made his mark. After the 1990 Census, Democrats in the General Assembly set their sights on him. Henrico Del. Bob Ball boasted that when the legislature had finished the lines, Bliley would need a Seeing-Eye dog to find his way around his constituency.

The subsequent gerrymander combined portions of the old 3rd with the old 7th. Bliley was moved into a district he shared with a chap by the name of George Allen, who, rather than challenging Bliley in a 1992 GOP primary, ran for governor in 1993. Although Allen likely harbored statewide ambitions, the Democratic gerrymander accelerated his plans. Blowback occurred. (Cantor won the seat after Bliley retired in 2000.)

The 1991 process also included the creation of a black-majority district stretching from Richmond's eastern half to Hampton Roads. Democrat Bobby Scott won the first election in the reconfigured 3rd, and holds the seat to this very day.

When Republicans gained control of redistricting, they embraced the gerrymandering many of them had deplored. The consequences were greatest for districts for the House of Delegates and the State Senate. Congressional redistricting saw tweaks.

Thus, if gerrymandering discomforts Diradour, then he needs to attribute his suffering to Virginia Democrats, as well as, perhaps, to the Voting Rights Act.

P.S.: During his campaign launch, Diradour also blasted Cantor for "tweeting" during President Barack Obama's recent speech to a joint session of Congress. Cantor took notes on his BlackBerry while Obama spoke. He did not tweet. His staff sent out tweets, but before and after the address, not during it, as we said in a Thursday editorial.