NC GOP announces plans to vote on new House map

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- 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 an advantage in the way U.S. House districts are drawn in several states for the 2026 session.

Senate Leader Phil Berger's office called the vote an attempt to "block the efforts of blue state Democrats to take control of Congress from Republicans."

"North Carolina was the target of the Democrats' sue-until-blue scheme, and we're prepared to bring forward a new Congressional map to defeat this new scheme," said Senate Redistricting Chairman Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell.

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.

"The General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump," Gov. Josh Stein said in reaction to the news. "The Republican leadership in the General Assembly has failed to pass a budget, failed to pay our teachers and law enforcement what they deserve, and failed to fully fund Medicaid. Now they are failing you, the voters. These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours. I will always fight for you because the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around."

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Only one of the state's House districts -- the 1st District 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.

State 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."

"President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat," said House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said. "Our state won't stand by while Democrats like (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom redraw districts to aid in their effort to obtain a majority in the U.S. House. We will not allow them to undermine the will of the voters and President Trump's agenda."

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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, lawmakers in Democrat-controlled 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.

"President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office, and nine months into his second term, he continues to achieve unprecedented wins," Berger, R-Rockingham, said. We are doing everything we can to protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress. Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina's congressional map to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn't decide the congressional majority."

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.

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In a joint statement, House Redistricting Chairmen Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, and Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, said, "We're stepping into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are attempting to rig the system to handpick who runs Congress. This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President Trump has called on us to fight back, and North Carolina stands ready to level the playing field."

Democrats roundly criticized the announcement.

"For multiple election cycles, Republicans in North Carolina have used partisan gerrymandering to silence voters and manipulate their way into office, said Congresswoman Deborah Ross. "With this announcement, we have now reached a decisive turning point for our democracy - a moment when the courts and our elected representatives will need to decide whether it's acceptable for Republicans to blatantly rig elections to cement their hold on power. The context is critical. North Carolinians from both parties should be alarmed by credible reports that Phil Berger is pursuing redistricting as part of a corrupt bargain to secure a political endorsement from Donald Trump.

"Republicans are waging a war on American voting rights because they know the truth - their policies are unpopular, their candidates are unlikable, and they can't win a majority in Congress without stacking the deck in their favor."

Democratic House Rep. Phil Rubin, who represents Wake County, accused Republicans of avoiding "accountability for their policies:"

"Republicans are terrified of a system where voters matter. Rigging district maps to avoid accountability is political corruption," Rubin said. "It's unacceptable but also unsurprising from so-called "representatives" who have given up on persuasion and now want to rule us by any means necessary. Accountability for elected leaders is the hallmark of democracy, and those who corrupt democracy to avoid accountability betray both the voters and our nation's core values."

The Associated Press contributed.