Spanberger, Youngkin to hit campaign trail on final weekend ahead of redistricting referendum
Apr 17, 2026
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Prominent figures are hitting the campaign trail on the final weekend of campaigning ahead of Virginia’s redistricting referendum.
Governor Abigail Spanberger is set to appear at canvas launches in Henrico and Prince William on Saturday for the “yes” campaign.
Ran
dolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher said he expects Spanberger to reinforce the “yes” campaign’s message that the referendum is about stopping what President Donald Trump and Republicans are doing nationally.
“I think she brings a certain amount of, I don’t know, like fight to the battle here in the sense that she can argue that she's actually been the one who’s taken a few punches from Donald Trump and the Trump administration and she knows for sure why it’s important to fight back,” Meagher told 8News.
Spanberger’s appearance on the campaign trail comes as former Governor Glenn Youngkin will join former Attorney General Jason Miyares to stump for Virginians for Fair Maps, the main campaign opposing the referendum, in Virginia Beach on Sunday, before heading to Richmond, Roanoke and Leesburg on Monday.
“I think that their argument is gonna be just what they’ve been saying, like, you’re getting disenfranchised Republicans, you’re gonna get left out of this new map and it's just way too skewed towards the Democrats, it’s not fair, it feels unfair, and you need to do something about it,” Meagher said.
Meagher also said both Spanberger and Youngkin will have the same goal of driving turnout to their side’s benefit.
“I don’t think any kind of race reset is coming this weekend, you never know, but it just seems to me more about making sure that the same messages that we’ve been hearing are just reinforced and reach as many Republicans voters on the “no” side, and Democratic voters on the “yes” side as possible,” Meagher said.
The last day to vote early is Saturday, April 18 with Election Day on Tuesday, April 21.
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