Democrats Want Permanent Control — And They’re Done Pretending Otherwise

There was a time when Republicans could at least pretend there were still a few “moderate Democrats” left. Politicians who might lean left on policy, but still respected institutional norms, constitutional guardrails, and the idea that power should have limits. That illusion is dead.

Abigail Spanberger built much of her brand on distancing herself from the activist insanity dominating today’s Democratic Party. She positioned herself as pragmatic, reasonable, and above the progressive circus. But now that Democrats are back within striking distance of power in Virginia, suddenly she’s tied to efforts that look an awful lot like a permanent power grab.

Democrats in Virginia already attempted to redraw congressional maps in a way that could hand them several additional Democrat-held seats and dramatically weaken Republican representation in Congress. The Virginia Supreme Court threw it out. Now, there’s growing talk about restructuring the Virginia Supreme Court after the ruling they didn’t like.

Democrats spent years hysterically warning the country that Republicans were an existential threat to democracy. Meanwhile, they’re openly discussing lowering judicial retirement ages and restructuring an entire state Supreme Court because they didn’t like a ruling. Apparently, “protecting democracy” only applies when voters and courts produce outcomes they approve of.

And Republicans need to wake up to what this actually is.

This is not about fairness. It’s not about protecting institutions. It’s not about defending democratic norms. It’s about power. Raw political power. The goal is simple: create systems in which Democrats no longer have to meaningfully compete for control because the maps, courts, and institutions are permanently engineered in their favor.

Honestly, from a purely strategic standpoint, I understand the temptation. It’s high-risk, but if it works, it’s incredibly high-reward. If Democrats successfully lock in favorable maps and reshape the institutions standing in their way, they can create a political environment where Republican victories become nearly impossible regardless of voter frustration or public backlash.

Virginia already had four years of Republican leadership under Governor Youngkin, and Democrats have moved at lightning speed to reverse virtually everything he accomplished. Now the conversation is shifting toward making sure those policies can never realistically return.

That should terrify voters.