Proposed congressional redistricting map in North Carolina released to public

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Top North Carolina Republicans released their proposed congressional redistricting map Thursday as they look to preserve the GOP majority in the U.S. House.

The map shows a proposed redistricting of North Carolina’s 1st congressional district, held by Democrat Don Davis. It removes the east-central counties of Wayne, Wilson, Greene, and Lenoir and replaces them with several eastern coast counties, including Carteret and Craven.

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The proposal makes Davis’ district far more Republican in an effort to give the GOP one more congressional seat.

The North Carolina General Assembly is expected to consider the proposed map next week. Public comments about the redistricting may be submitted online.

State Senate President Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced the proposed redistricting earlier in the week, stating it was intended to protect President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“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,” Hall said in his statement.

Berger said in his statement, “We are doing everything we can to protect President Trump’s agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress.”

The proposal has been met with opposition from the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Josh Stein, who said in a statement, “The General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump.

“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,” Stein continued in his statement. “Now they are failing you, the voters. These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours.”

If the proposed map is approved in the General Assembly, where Republicans hold majorities, the governor will not be able to veto it.

CBS 17 previously reported on a potential endorsement from Trump for Berger in his primary election in exchange for these redistricting plans. Berger denied that any exchange was happening and said he had not spoken to the president about that.

North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts are currently held by 10 Republicans and four Democrats.

Before this year, the districts were split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but a redrawing in 2023 allowed Republicans to gain three additional U.S. House seats in 2024.

The 1st congressional district is currently considered the only competitive one in North Carolina. Davis was last re-elected in 2024 by a 1.5% margin.

Following the proposed map’s release, National Democratic Redistricting Committee President John Bisognano said in a statement, “After apparently accepting endorsements and buyouts from Donald Trump, North Carolina Republicans are selling out their own constituents by pushing an even more extreme gerrymander on top of an already extreme gerrymander.

“The Tar Heel State is a highly competitive 50-50 state, and Republicans have already forced North Carolinians to vote on an egregious 10-4 gerrymander. The proposed map takes that gerrymander even further by not only silencing the voices of millions of North Carolinians but also dismantling a district where voters of color have historically had an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

“If North Carolina Republicans move forward with this egregious gerrymander, they can expect to see the same fierce resistance by voters their colleagues saw and feared in Texas and Missouri and an onslaught of lawsuits.”