‘You are shameful’: Dozens rally against GOP-backed NC congressional redrawing as votes happen

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina lawmakers in Raleigh are voting on whether to formally redraw congressional maps in an effort to gain one more Republican seat, but it didn’t happen without dozens of voters showing up to the General Assembly urging lawmakers not to do this.

The redrawing was announced last week from Republican leaders in the both the state Senate and the House, saying they want to do this to protect President Donald Trump’s agenda and get another Republican in Congress.

On Monday, while formally moving to get the maps onto the Senate floor for a vote, Republicans are standing by that, saying they want to counteract redistricting in California, too.

“The motivation behind this new plan is straightforward,” Republican Senator Ralph Hise said. “The new Congressional map improves Republican strength in eastern North Carolina, it moves NC District 1 from a District where President Trump won 51% of the vote in in 2024, to 55% of the vote.”

The newly proposed map changes Districts 1 and 3.

Democrats pushed back. During that committee meeting, Democratic Senator Sydney Batch asked Senator Hise what communication he’s had with the White House about the plan. Hise said he had none.

Senator Batch asked if other Republicans, including the top Republican in the Senate, Phil Berger, have. Senator Hise said he couldn’t speak on anyone else’s communications.

Other Democrats say Republicans are lying to their own constituents. When talking about the new map, Senator Hise said it’s in response to California redistricting. He did not mention that Texas led the way with redistricting efforts.

“Let’s just do away with the fiction that California has started this process,” Democratic Senator Julie Mayfield said. “They have not. Everybody in the country knows that and it is frankly shocking to me that the intelligent and thoughtful Republicans that I work with continue to perpetuate this fiction.”

Several Democrats asked Senator Hise, who was the only Republican to speak on the bill in that committee meeting, whether GOP members considered how the racial makeup of counties would impact the newly proposed map. Senator Hise repeatedly said they used “political data,” not racial data.

After debate amongst legislators, a long line of community members spoke to lawmakers. None showed any support for the new map.

“[Republicans] are doing this while North Carolina has not had a state budget for 100 days,” One UNC-Charlotte student, Eric Willoughby, said. “Rather than fully funding Medicaid, rather than raising teacher pay, or doing their jobs, they are wasting precious time and taxpayer dollars, bending the knee to Donald Trump and ripping away the voice of the voters. It is shameful. It is pathetic. You are shameful. You are pathetic.”

If the map is passed in the Senate, it goes over to the House for their vote. If both chambers pass it, which is likely since Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, Governor Josh Stein does not have authority 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.

The proposed map shows a 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.

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.