North Carolina has once again found itself at the center of the nation’s ongoing battle over congressional redistricting, with the passage of a new map that has both supporters and critics sounding alarms about the future of democracy in the state. The new congressional districts, approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly in late October 2025, are poised to shift the state’s congressional delegation to a likely 11-3 Republican majority—an outcome that has ignited fierce debate and drawn comparisons to similar redistricting efforts across the country.
According to the Carolina Journal, the process began in earnest on October 21, 2025, when lawmakers proposed the new map with the explicit goal of gaining an additional Republican seat in the 2026 midterm elections. House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, made no secret of the partisan motivation, stating, “The motivation behind this new redistricting plan is straightforward. The new congressional map improves Republican political strength in eastern North Carolina and will bring an additional Republican seat to North Carolina’s congressional delegation.”
The map swiftly moved through the legislative process, passing the state Senate in a 26–20 vote on October 22, and then the House in a 66-48 vote the following day. Unlike most legislation, the map did not require the governor’s signature to become law, and it is now officially in effect. Among the notable changes, Wilson, Wayne, Greene, and Lenoir counties were shifted into District 3, while Craven, Beaufort, Pamlico, Carteret, Hyde, and Dare counties were moved into District 1.
The new lines have drawn intense criticism from Democrats and civil rights leaders, who argue the map is a blatant attempt to undermine fair representation—particularly for Black voters in the state’s 1st Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Don Davis, North Carolina’s only Black congressman and the current representative of District 1, did not mince words, calling the new map “one of the darkest moments in our state’s history” and “morally wrong on all fronts.” Davis, who has served in Congress since 2023, pointed out that the redrawn district is now considered unwinnable for Democrats, despite its long history of electing Black Democratic representatives. He added, “While families in eastern North Carolina face real struggles and concerns, our state has prioritized passing a new congressional map that affects only our region, with the intention of predetermining the outcome of an election 377 days away.”
Civil rights leader Bishop William J. Barber II, head of Repairers of the Breach and national co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, was equally forceful in his condemnation. “We’ve seen this pattern before: it’s what I call surgical racism with surgical precision—the use of redistricting and voting laws to divide, diminish, and deny. But the truth is simple: when you steal people’s representation, you steal their healthcare, their wages, and their future,” Barber said, as reported by NC Newsline. He vowed to fight back “in the courts, in the streets, and at the ballot box—Black, white, and brown together—because our democracy is not for sale.”
The process by which the map was approved has also come under fire. According to reporting by the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP), the public was given little opportunity to weigh in, with the map made public only a week before the vote and just one minute of comment allowed per speaker at committee hearings. Congressman Davis echoed these concerns, stating that Republicans “offered limited public participation by those affected” and ignored “the voices of those who did participate.” Bishop Barber went further, saying, “If they won’t hold public hearings, we will.”
The new map is part of a broader, nationwide Republican strategy to shore up congressional power ahead of the 2026 midterms—a campaign reportedly encouraged by former President Donald Trump. According to NC Newsline and the NCDP, this mid-decade redistricting is unprecedented, as maps are typically drawn only once every ten years following the U.S. Census. Trump’s involvement has also raised eyebrows, with Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin accusing North Carolina Republicans of having “bent the knee to Donald Trump.” Martin said, “Donald Trump rigged North Carolina’s map even further because he knows his disastrous first year will cost him the 2026 midterm elections.”
Republican leaders, for their part, say they are simply responding to similar tactics in Democratic-majority states. House Majority Leader Jones specifically cited California, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Connecticut as states where Republicans hold zero congressional seats due to Democratic gerrymanders. “North Carolina will not stand by while they try to undermine the will of our voters and stack the decks in Washington. Sadly, this isn’t new. Just look around the country,” Jones asserted. He also declared, “We did our job transparently, lawfully, and unapologetically. And if that offends the left, so be it.”
Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, released a video after the map’s passage accusing Republican legislative leaders of abusing their power. “True leadership is knowing when and whether to use your power. Republican legislative leaders are abusing their power to take away yours. They’re afraid that they will lose in the midterms and afraid to say no to the president. So they’ve turned their backs on you to silence your vote in the 2026 election. It’s outrageous,” Stein said.
Critics also point to the broader context of Republican governance in North Carolina, noting that the legislature is over 100 days overdue in passing a state budget. The NCDP highlights that Medicaid is underfunded by $300 million, threatening healthcare access, especially in rural communities. “North Carolina Republicans have avoided fulfilling their responsibilities to you for over a hundred days, but they scrambled back to Raleigh to force through a gerrymander as soon as Donald Trump called. The GOP’s priorities? Trump first, North Carolinians last,” the party stated in a recent digital message.
This redistricting battle is not unique to North Carolina. Texas and Missouri have also redrawn their congressional maps to favor Republicans, often at the expense of majority Black and Latino districts. The Texas map is already being challenged in federal court as a violation of the Voting Rights Act, and a pending Supreme Court case, Louisiana v. Callais, could have far-reaching implications for the Act’s future. If the Court rules in favor of the Louisiana map, it could give states even more leeway to draw districts that dilute the voting power of minority communities.
Despite the outcry, the new map is now the law of the land in North Carolina, setting the stage for a contentious 2026 midterm election. With 84% of North Carolina voters reportedly opposed to partisan gerrymandering, according to NCDP figures, the issue is likely to remain a flashpoint for both parties in the months to come. As Bishop Barber put it, “This is our Edmund Pettus Bridge moment.” Whether that moment leads to lasting change—or deeper divisions—remains to be seen.
