By Sarah Ferris, CNN
(CNN) — Hours after House Democrats suffered a major political setback in Virginia, Hakeem Jeffries was defiant.
In an interview with CNN, the New York Democrat predicted his party would still win the US House of Representatives in November despite the GOP’s now-clear advantage in the nationwide redistricting fight — and then use its momentum to redraw more state maps in their favor in 2028.
“The unprecedented decision by the Virginia Supreme Court reinforces the need to go all in in advance of the 2028 election,” Jeffries said Friday afternoon, calling out roughly a half-dozen blue states that are under intense pressure to redraw congressional maps in favor of Democrats next cycle.
“It’s going to be incredibly important that states like New York, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Maryland and Illinois are aggressive in moving forward to ensure that there’s a fair national map, particularly in light of what the Supreme Court’s attack on the Voting Rights Act has unleashed,” Jeffries said.
On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court voided Democrats’ attempt to redraw the state’s US House map in an April referendum, a devastating blow to the party’s efforts in the national redistricting battle launched by President Donald Trump ahead of this fall’s midterms.
The House Democratic leader defended his decision to push for a new map in Virginia this cycle, where state leaders created an aggressive map that could have left just one Republican seat statewide.
“We continue to proceed with an all-hands-on deck effort. The fight is not over in Virginia. We’re just getting started,” Jeffries said when asked if he stood by the Democrats’ push there.
Jeffries, who needs to flip less than a dozen seats to become House speaker next year, said his party could still flip “at least two” GOP seats in Virginia under the current map. He and the party’s campaign arm are eying a competitive seat in Virginia Beach, held by GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans, and a Richmond-area seat held by GOP Rep. Rob Wittman. Some Democrats believe another seat in the Charlottesville-area, held by GOP Rep. John McGuire, is also winnable this year.
Democrats had stood to gain as many as four seats in the new map, which voters approved last month.
“If the current map holds in Virginia, we will at minimum flip two seats. And we’re exploring other options given how unpopular the policies of the Republican party have been,” Jeffries said.
It’s not yet clear whether Democrats have a path to challenging the court’s decision. But Jeffries said the party is currently evaluating its next steps: “We’re exploring all options, legislative, in the state Supreme Court, and as it relates to federal court.”
In the last 10 months, Jeffries and House Democrats have successfully convinced two states – California and Virginia – to redraw their lines to favor their party in response to Trump’s gerrymandering push in red states.
Republicans, meanwhile, have successfully redrawn maps in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee. Party officials hope those new maps will net them a total of eight seats in November.
But Jeffries predicted his party would still win in an environment that — right now — favors Democrats.
“We remain in an incredibly strong position to take back the House based on the reality that the MAGA Republican majority has been a complete and total failure,” he said. “We’ve been winning elections for the last 16 conservative months and Donald Trump has an extinction-level approval rating as it relates to the American people.”
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