In a move that has sent shockwaves through North Carolina’s political landscape, Republican leaders in the state legislature are on the cusp of finalizing a new congressional map that could shift the balance of power in Washington. The proposed redistricting, which has already cleared the state Senate and several House committees, is expected to be enacted for the 2026 midterm elections—potentially delivering an additional GOP seat and strengthening former President Donald Trump’s influence in Congress.
The redistricting saga reached a critical juncture on the morning of October 22, 2025, as the North Carolina House scheduled floor debate and votes on the controversial new boundaries. The state Senate had already approved the plan along party lines the day before, following a heated three-hour debate and procedural delays orchestrated by Democrats. The vote, 25-20, reflected the deep partisan divide over the issue, with Senate Democrats even submitting a formal “Constitutional protest” for the legislative record, arguing the new map was “injurious to the public.” According to ABC News, the House Select Committee on Redistricting had advanced the measure despite vigorous objections from Democrats and hundreds of liberal activists who swarmed the legislative complex in protest.
At the heart of the dispute is North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Don Davis. Davis, one of the state’s three Black representatives, narrowly won reelection in 2024 by less than two percentage points—a rare bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise challenging cycle. The new map, if enacted, would redraw the district’s boundaries by exchanging several counties with neighboring GOP Rep. Greg Murphy’s 3rd District. Specifically, six counties—Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, and Pamlico—would shift from Murphy’s district to Davis’, while four counties—Greene, Lenoir, Wayne, and Wilson—plus a portion of Onslow County would move in the opposite direction. This reshuffling is designed to make Davis’ seat significantly more competitive for Republicans.
Republican lawmakers have been frank about their motivations. As state Sen. Ralph Hise, a co-chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, put it, “The purpose of this map was to pick up a Republican seat. We’ve stated that over and over again.” Hise emphasized that the move was part of a “political arms race” with Democratic-controlled states like California, which have also redrawn maps to favor their own party. “President Trump has called on Republican-controlled states across the country to fight fire with fire. This map answers that call,” Hise declared, according to North State Journal.
This sentiment was echoed by Senate leader Phil Berger, who defended the redistricting as both legal and reflective of the state’s political leanings. “It is something that is an appropriate thing for us to do under the law and in conjunction with basically listening to the will of the people,” Berger told reporters, as cited by the Associated Press. He later asserted on social media, “North Carolina Republicans will not sit quietly and watch Democrats continue to ignore the will of the people in an attempt to force their liberal agenda on our citizens.”
Former President Trump himself has been a vocal supporter of the effort. In a post on his social media platform on October 17, he urged legislators to adopt the new map, declaring, “this new Map would give the fantastic people of North Carolina the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections, which would be A HUGE VICTORY for our America First Agenda, not just in North Carolina, but across our Nation.”
Democrats, however, are sounding the alarm about the consequences of the new map. They argue it could dilute the voting power of Black communities in the state’s “Black Belt” region and threaten decades of progress on voting rights. U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, another member of North Carolina’s Democratic delegation, spoke passionately at a rally outside the Capitol, stating, “We know they’re lying when they say, well, it’s not racial. It is racial. They’re going to take out, trying to take out, the only Black male that we have.” Protesters echoed this sentiment, chanting “Berger’s maps are racist maps!” and “Fascists!” as they were escorted from the hearing room by law enforcement, according to ABC News.
Don Davis himself has been outspoken in his opposition. In a statement provided to ABC News and North State Journal, Davis emphasized the lack of constituent demand for redistricting: “Since the start of this new term, my office has received 46,616 messages from constituents of different political parties, including those unaffiliated, expressing a range of opinions, views, and requests. Not a single one of them included a request for a new congressional map redrawing eastern North Carolina. Clearly, this new congressional map is beyond the pale.”
Despite the furor, North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Josh Stein is powerless to stop the redistricting, as state law does not grant him veto authority over district maps. Candidate filing for the 2026 elections is set to begin December 1, 2025, meaning the new boundaries could soon become the law of the land—unless Democrats or voting rights advocates succeed in challenging them in court. Lawsuits are widely expected, with critics suggesting the map could constitute an illegal racial gerrymander in a district that has elected African Americans to Congress continuously since 1992.
Republican leaders have repeatedly denied that race played any role in drawing the new lines. They assert that no racial data was used and that the changes were motivated solely by partisan considerations. Hise, when questioned by Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch about the timeline and outside influences, stated that Republicans began considering map alternatives on October 13, 2025, with no direct communication with the Trump administration or consultation with affected representatives Davis or Murphy. “No outside experts were consulted,” Hise said.
The high-stakes redistricting battle in North Carolina is part of a broader national trend. Over the summer, Republican-led Texas and Democratic-controlled California both redrew their congressional maps in efforts to tip the scales in their favor. Missouri Republicans also managed to reshape a long-held Democratic district to their advantage. With North Carolina now following suit, the political chess match over congressional control is intensifying ahead of the 2026 midterms, where just a handful of seats could determine which party holds the gavel in the U.S. House.
As the dust settles on this latest round of redistricting, attention now turns to the courts and the ballot box. The outcome will not only shape North Carolina’s political future but could also play a pivotal role in the balance of power in Washington for years to come.
