❓WHAT HAPPENED: North Carolina Republican lawmakers approved new U.S. House district maps aimed at securing an additional GOP seat for the 2026 elections.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: North Carolina General Assembly Republicans, Democratic Rep. Don Davis, and state Democrats.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The maps were finalized on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, in North Carolina’s legislative chambers.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The new congressional map improves Republican political strength in eastern North Carolina and will bring in an additional Republican seat to North Carolina’s congressional delegation.” – GOP Rep. Brenden Jones
🎯IMPACT: Republicans could secure 11 of 14 U.S. House seats in North Carolina, bolstering GOP efforts to maintain control of Congress.
North Carolina Republican lawmakers adopted new U.S. House district maps on Wednesday, aiming to secure an additional GOP seat in the 2026 elections. The state House approved the maps following a party-line vote in the Senate on Tuesday. The changes are likely to significantly reduce the reelection odds for Congressman Don Davis (D-NC), who represents a district in northeastern North Carolina that is considered a swing seat as neither Republicans nor Democrats hold a clear partisan advantage.
Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly, and Governor Josh Stein ID-NC) cannot veto redistricting maps under state law. This leaves the GOP’s proposal poised for implementation unless legal challenges from Democrats or voting rights groups succeed. Candidate filing for the 2026 elections is set to begin on December 1, 2025.
Speaking on the floor, state Representative Brenden Jones (R), defended the mid-cycle district redraw, arguing: “The new congressional map improves Republican political strength in eastern North Carolina and will bring in an additional Republican seat to North Carolina’s congressional delegation.” Democrats, however, criticized the maps as a racial gerrymander, with state Rep. Gloristine Brown (D) declaring, “You are silencing Black voices and are going against the will of your constituents.”
The new map could shift counties in Rep. Davis’s 1st District to a coastal district more favorable to Republicans. Statewide election data suggests the GOP could win 11 of 14 House seats under the new boundaries. However, the new districts will likely draw numerous legal challenges from Democrats and leftist lawfare groups who claim the map violates the Voting Rights Act.
Republican leaders in the state legislature contend that the redistricting was based on political considerations, not racial data. GOP leaders also pointed to North Carolina’s support for President Donald J. Trump in recent presidential elections as justification for increasing Republican representation in Congress. Senate leader Phil Berger said the maps align with “listening to the will of the people.”
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