NC Republicans Win Redistricting Battle While Local Democrats Call for Gerrymandering Efforts

North Carolina Republicans have won a federal redistricting battle, with the move likely long in the hands of black Democrats.

A three-judge federal panel voted in favor of a new congressional map that will mainly affect North Carolina’s First District. reported by 828 News Now. The panel also supported several other maps adopted by the Republican Party, allowing Republicans to capture several seats in the southern state.

The ruling has greatly helped Donald Trump’s redistricting campaign in several states, especially as the midterm elections get underway. Trump called on the state’s Republican leaders to redraw the maps to secure favorable election results in 2026. The campaign is trying to keep Republican leaders in the House of Representatives for next year.

However, this congressional map could jeopardize a seat currently led by black leadership. Representative Don Davis represents more than 20 counties in the district, with Black pastors holding the position for three decades.

The ruling dismissed lawsuits brought by the NAACP and voters. The first lawsuit, launched by a state chapter of the NAACP and Common Cause, says the redistricting violates the First Amendment. The filing said the redrawn maps targeted the “black band” of several voters in the area. The voter-led lawsuit also argued that the maps based the redistricting on old census data.

While GOP leaders cheered the ruling, local Democrats have blasted the ruling as an act that ignores the rights of voters in the area.

“This ruling gives a blessing to what will be the most gerrymandered congressional map in the state’s history, a map that deliberately retaliates against voters in eastern North Carolina for supporting a candidate not favored by the majority party,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina.

While some lower courts are blocking Trump’s direction, some states, such as California, have also begun their own defense against the effort, redrawing districts to ensure more Democratic-leaning turnout. The party split in the House of Representatives currently stands at 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats, leaving little room for error in next year’s midterm elections.

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