RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican lawmakers unveiled a redrawn U.S. House district map for North Carolina on Thursday in an effort to assist President Donald Trump maintain GOP control of Congress by trying to thwart the re-election bid for the Democrat who now holds the state’s only swing seat.
Republican leaders of the House and Senate unveiled the proposed boundaries ahead of next week’s General Assembly session, wading into the nationwide battle over mid-decade redistricting that has seen Democrats and Republicans vying for electoral advantages from coast to coast, including Texas and California. Republicans announced earlier this week that lawmakers would return to Raleigh to debate and vote on a plan put forward in response to Trump’s call to secure more GOP seats before the 2026 midterm elections.
A closely contested midterm election awaits, with Democrats needing to win just three seats to take control of the House of Representatives. The president’s party has a history of losing seats in midterm elections, something Trump is trying to avoid.
Republicans have already approved a map for North Carolina in 2023 that resulted in GOP candidates winning 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats in 2024. By comparison, the map used in 2022 had a 7-7 split of seats between Democrats and the GOP.
As expected, Thursday’s boundaries appear to be focused on helping the GOP win the 1st District seat in northeastern North Carolina, currently held by Democratic Rep. Don Davis, based on previous election results. He won a second term in 2024 by less than 2 percentage points.
The 1st District’s redesigned boundaries would include several coastal counties and remove others inland — including Greene County, Davis’ home county — to create a slightly more right-leaning 1st District. Greene and others would be housed in a revamped 3rd District, currently represented by Republican Rep. Greg Murphy, which appears to be slightly less GOP-friendly based on election results.
Other districts to the west would remain intact. Based on the results of several past statewide elections included in the map, Republicans would have a good chance of winning 11 of North Carolina’s 14 seats.
Republican lawmakers made no formal comment on the proposal but invited online comments from the public. But with a picture of the modern map, Senate Leader Phil Berger wrote on X on Thursday that the General Assembly is “ready to help Republicans secure Congress and advance @realDonaldTrump’s agenda!”
The GOP has majorities in both the House and Senate. The state constitution prevents Democratic Gov. Josh Stein from using his veto on redistricting plans.
The national battle over redistricting began over the summer when Trump pushed Republican-led Texas to redraw U.S. House districts. After Texas lawmakers acted, California Democrats retaliated by passing their own plan in November, which still requires voter approval.
Other North Carolina Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to assist Trump and have accused the GOP of trying to steal a seat won by Davis, one of North Carolina’s three Black representatives. The current 1st District includes several majority-black districts. A redistricting of the 1st District could lead to litigation alleging unlawful racial bias.
Redistricting would occur even if Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are more than three months delayed in passing a state budget and cannot yet make a final decision on how to boost Medicaid spending.
“Instead we’re coming back to talk about redistricting because Republicans believe if they can’t win fairly, they’re going to change things and cheat and win this away,” state Democratic state Rep. Sarah Crawford said at a state Democratic Party news conference Thursday.
Davis, a former state lawmaker and Air Force veteran, mentioned regional concerns in a social media post Thursday evening.
Families in eastern North Carolina “struggle and feel that Washington, DC is broken. I understand these concerns all too well,” Davis wrote
