North Carolina’s Republican Lawmakers Move to Redraw Congressional Maps

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are preparing to adjust some of the state’s congressional maps to potentially increase the number of Republican seats available.

The proposed district map successfully cleared its final legislative hurdle in the North Carolina Senate on Tuesday, securing a 26-20 vote.

Phil Berger, the Republican Senate Majority Leader residing in Rockingham, stated, “Democrat-run states across the country have spent decades ensuring that Republicans are removed from Congress. North Carolina Republicans cannot stand by and watch Democrats continue to ignore the will of the people in order to impose liberal policies on the people. This new map respects the will of the voters of North Carolina, the state that sent President Trump to the White House three times.”

Last week, Republicans introduced Senate Bill 249, which modifies the 1st and 3rd districts while leaving the remaining 12 districts unchanged.

According to voter data from 2024, the 1st District’s proposed map shifts from an area where 51% voted for Donald Trump to one where 55% supported him.

Senate Vice President Pro Tempore Ralph Hice addressed Senate floor comments before the vote, including claims that race may have affected the redistricting process.

“Let me state once again that no racial data is used in these maps. In fact, that is a verifiable fact. Computers can create what the data shows,” Hice said. “The purpose of this map was to win Republican seats. We’ve said that over and over again. I think there was a real attempt to say that because that’s the only legal strategy left to argue that it was done for other reasons.”

He also emphasized that the assertion of racial motivations behind the map adjustments was “absolutely unfounded.”

Hice further explained, “We devised these maps to rebalance our country, rebalance our Congress, and make sure that North Carolina is as optimized as other blue states were when they drew their districts. Republicans hold a slim margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. If Democrats flip four seats in the upcoming midterm elections, they will take control of the House and undermine President Trump’s agenda.”

In the 2022 elections, North Carolina’s Congressional delegation included seven Republicans and seven Democrats. As Republicans adjusted the maps for the 2024 election cycle, three Democrats—Jeff Jackson, Kathy Manning, and Wiley Nickel—chose not to run for reelection. The state’s Republican leaders believe that with the new map, 11 Republicans could potentially represent North Carolina in the House.

This redistricting effort echoes actions taken in Texas, where the Republican-controlled state legislature approved new maps projected to provide Republicans with five additional U.S. Senate seats.

In response, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom is pursuing a special election to modify the state’s map, aiming to secure five Democratic seats in line with Texas. Californians will vote on Proposition 50 on November 4th, which, if approved, would bypass the usual independent commission responsible for redistricting.

“Bad news for Gavin Newsom and the radical left. North Carolina is not going to stand by while he undermines the will of voters and builds up his muscle in Washington, D.C.,” remarked Republican North Carolina Rep. Brenden Jones.