By GARY ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced plans Monday to vote next week on redrawing the state’s U.S. House district map, with a likely aim to secure another GOP seat within already right-leaning boundaries.
The move comes amid an emerging mid-decade battle nationally between Republicans and Democrats seeking advantage in the way U.S. House districts are drawn in several states for the 2026 session.
North Carolina Republicans already created a map in 2023 that resulted in GOP candidates winning 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats in 2024. That division compared to the 7-7 seat split between Democrats and the GOP under the map used in 2022.
Now only one of the state’s House district’s –- the 1st District currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis –- is considered a swing district and could be targeted by the GOP for an 11th seat. Davis won a second term last year by less than 2 percentage points, so shifting slightly portions of the district covering nearly 20 northeastern counties could help a Republican candidate in a strong GOP year.
A news release from the state’s Republican legislators said their planned action “follows President Donald Trump’s call urging legislatures across the country to take action to nullify Democrat redistricting efforts.”
Trump kickstarted the redistricting battle this summer by calling upon Republican-led Texas to reshape its U.S. House districts so that the GOP could win more seats in next year’s elections.
As Texas redrew its districts to give Republicans a shot at winning five more seats, Democrats in California reciprocated by passing their own redistricting plan aimed at helping Democrats win five additional seats. Then lawmakers in Republican-led Missouri approved revised U.S. House districts intended to help Republicans win an additional seat.
The new Texas map faces a legal challenge. The California map still needs voter approval in a Nov. 4 election to take effect. And the Missouri map faces both court challenges and an initiative petition campaign seeking to force a statewide referendum on it.