As a GOP congressman tries to restore the District of Columbia’s original borders, activists leading the long-shot campaign hope the president will act.
ARLINGTON, Va.—A few months ago, Max Moore and his allies were voices in the social media wilderness.
Their campaign to “Make DC Square Again”—an effort to return Arlington County and the City of Alexandria to the District of Columbia—was getting likes and reposts on X amid a redistricting battle in the state. But social media isn’t quite reality.
Things got a little more real on April 21, when Virginia voters greenlit a congressional map redrawn by their Democrat-dominated legislature. Many districts are anchored in slivers of deep-blue Northern Virginia, including Arlington and Alexandria, jeopardizing the reelection prospects of multiple House Republicans.
One day later, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) introduced legislation to repeal the 1840s retrocession that delivered the other side of the Potomac River to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Any bid to restore the district’s original borders would have to overcome many hurdles, not least the opposition of locals who would lose representation in Congress. Even if it happened, it probably would not be enough to make Virginia a red state.
Ahead of fiercely contested midterms, however, some Republicans see an opportunity to undo an old but questionable law and blunt the Democrats’ advance—a motivation in line with the long and often partisan battle over the District of Columbia and its borders. If President Donald Trump gets involved, the stakes could be raised further on an issue the courts have never resolved.
Moore, for his part, struck an optimistic note.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” he told The Epoch Times in a text message after the legislation was introduced.
Cosponsored by Reps. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.) and Randy Fine (R-Fla.), McCormick’s bill was quickly referred to multiple committees.
Influential conservatives who back the idea now include Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, and Mike Howell, president of The Oversight Project, a government watchdog group.
