Fox’s Ari Fleischer Calls Out Republicans Over ‘Foreseeable and Avoidable’ Loss in Virginia: ‘We Should Not Have Started This Fight’

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Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer called out Republicans for a “foreseeable and avoidable” loss in a Virginia redistricting battle, just months ahead of the midterms.

In a series of X posts on Tuesday night, Fleischer, a former White House press secretary, emphasized just how big of a loss Virginia was for Republicans. Democrats have made their potential at gaining more control in Congress far better as the vote this week rejects a congressional map put in place six years ago and erases four GOP-held House seats.

“Tonight is a good night to repeat what I said last August when Texas started this mid-cycle redistricting chain reaction,” Fleischer wrote on X. “Politics has to be more than a power grab. By either party. There have to be rules that everyone follows. Otherwise, it’s all about power and pretty soon there won’t be much left that holds our nation together.”

The former White House official was responding to a 2025 post he made calling out gerrymandering and redistricting that is not done across the board.

He wrote in that post:

I want to win 5 more seats in the House. But mid-census change in Texas is not the way to do it. Even politics must have rules. Gerrymandering should be done once every ten years – by all states. Otherwise, there are no rules and it’s the equivalent of all- out, political wars all the time – simply to gain power.

No state should gerrymander until 2032, including Texas. It’s fair to everyone this way. Even politics should be conducted in a fair manner.

Fleischer, whose commentary was highlighted by MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough, ultimately concluded that Republicans picked an unnecessary battle they’re now losing.

“I should also point out that the GOP will now lose net seats across the country. If you’re going to pick a fight, at least win it. The other side will always fight back,” he wrote. “All this was foreseeable and avoidable. We should not have started this fight.”

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