RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders were poised Wednesday to complete some renovations to the state’s House map in hopes of picking up more Republican seats and helping President Donald Trump maintain majority control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.
The state Legislature is scheduled to debate and vote on a proposed border line that, if enacted, would thwart the president’s re-election next year. Democratic U.S. Congressman Don Daviscurrently representing more than 20 counties in the Northeast. The state Senate already approved the plan along party lines on Tuesday.
Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, and Democratic Gov. Josh Stein cannot veto redistricting maps under state law. Therefore, the Republican proposal would go into effect after a yes vote in the House, unless a lawsuit filed by Democrats and voting rights advocates to block it is successful. Submissions for 2026 candidates are scheduled to begin on December 1st.
Republican lawmakers announced proposed changes They are seeking to win more seats nationwide in Republican-led states, answering President Trump’s call to maintain control of Congress and advance his policies. Democrats are resisting such efforts through moves by their rivals, and they only need to win three more seats to take control of the House. The president’s party has historically lost seats in midterm elections.
“The purpose of this map was to win seats for Republicans. We’ve said that over and over again,” state Sen. Ralph Heise, who helped create the altered map, said this week.
The national redistricting battle began over the summer when President Trump urged Republican-led Texas to redistrict its congressional districts. After Texas lawmakers took action. The California Democratic Party also responded. Passing its own plan would require voter approval in November.
Under an alternative map that would replace several counties in Davis’ current 1st District with other districts on the coast, the proposed map would give Republicans an advantage in winning 11 of the 14 statewide seats, up from the 10 they currently hold, statewide election data suggests.
Davis is one of three black senators in North Carolina, and his 1st district includes several majority-black counties. Map critics have suggested future lawsuits could accuse Republicans of creating illegal racial gerrymandering in the district, which has consistently elected African Americans to Congress since 1992.
Mr. Davis won a second term in 2024 by less than two elections, and the 1st District was one of 13 congressional districts held by both Democratic House members and Mr. Trump, according to the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Davis on Tuesday called the proposed map “beyond the pale.”
Hundreds of democracy and liberal activists They flocked to the Legislature this week to voice their opposition to the plan. They accused Republican lawmakers of following Trump’s orders and criticized what they called a power grab through a quick and unfair redistricting process.
“If you pass this, your legacy will be to shatter the Constitution and destroy our democracy,” Karen Ziegler of the grassroots group Democracy Out Loud told senators this week. Instead, he added, “we’re letting Donald Trump decide who represents the people of North Carolina.”
Democrats argue the proposed map would create racial discrimination and undo decades of voting rights progress for people living in what is known as North Carolina’s “Black Belt” region. Republicans counter that there was no such gerrymandering, saying racial data was not used to draw districts.
State Republican leaders defended their actions, saying Mr. Trump had won the state’s electoral votes (albeit by close margins) in all three times he ran for president, and therefore deserved more potential support in Congress to carry out his policies.
“This is the right thing for us to do, based on the law, along with basically listening to the will of the people,” Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger told reporters.
