(The Center Square) – Approval of a new congressional map in North Carolina is a step closer to reality, advancing Tuesday morning from the full Senate to the Select Committee on Redistricting to the Rules Committee by evening.
The floor vote in the House of Representatives is calendared for Wednesday. And with it, a chance at the 2026 midterms to change the state’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives from 10-4 Republicans to 11-3 Republicans.
Amid protests from the gallery and Democrats, the new map is a threat to U.S. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., winning a third term next year. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy is expected to retain his seat.
Davis is in the 1st Congressional District and Murphy the 3rd Congresional District. Realign Congressional Districts 2025, known also as Senate Bill 249, sends Beaufort, Hyde, Dare, Craven, Pamlico and Carteret counties from the 3rd Congressional District to the 1st; and Wilson, Wayne, Greene and Lenoir from the 1st to the 3rd.
Republican legislative leaders, Sen. Phil Berger of Rockingham County in the upper chamber and House Speaker Destin Hall of Caldwell County in the lower, have said the redistricting effort was prompted by a similar effort in California to help Democrats.
Davis’ 2024 election was the only one of 14 for the House where the winning difference was less than 13%. Lawmakers are not making changes to the other 12, meaning districts represented by Democratic Reps. Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams are likely to stay in party.
At Tuesday’s Senate hearing, just as in the House committee the day before, opponents of the redistricting plan were harshly critical, calling it racis.
“I can tell you that this is one of those days that will live in infamy in North Carolina history,” Vicky Boyer of Orange County told the House committee Tuesday. “Today North Carolina Republicans showed their true face. They have lost all sense of honor. They have lost their Christian values. They’ve become completely absorbed in the American Fascist party.”
Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, one of the sponsors of the redistricting plan, told the House committee Tuesday that race played no role in the plan.
“The motivation behind this draw was to produce a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to North Carolina’s congressional delegation,” Hise told the committee. “Absolutely no racial data was used in the creation of this map.”
Republicans hold a “razor thin” majority in the U.S. House, Hise said. On Election Day, it was 220-215; today, there are three vacancies and Republicans have a 219-213 edge.
“If Democrats flip four seats in the upcoming midterm elections, they will take control of the House and torpedo President Trump’s agenda,” the senator said.
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has called on partisan lawmakers to redraw congressional maps, Hise said.
“This map answers that call,” Hise told the committee.
