RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders on Monday announced plans to vote next week on redrawing the state’s U.S. House district maps, responding to President Donald Trump’s call to hold more Republican seats nationwide and resist rival moves by Democrats.
Moves to readjust the ninth-largest state’s already right-leaning boundaries come amid a battle between major political parties. span multiple states Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the district boundaries will be redrawn to give partisan advantages.
North Carolina Republicans drew maps in 2023 that resulted in Republican candidates winning 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats in 2024. By contrast, the map used in 2022 showed a 7-7 split between Democrats and Republicans.
Currently, the only congressional district considered a true battleground is the 1st District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis, with Republicans potentially targeting 11 seats. Davis won a second term last year by less than 2 percentage points, so slightly shifting parts of the district, which covers more than 20 counties in the Northeast, could help the Republican candidate in a strong year for Republicans. However, the constituencies held by Republican incumbents may be weakened.
The state’s Republican leaders said the planned action is in line with “President Trump’s call for Congresses across the country to take action to override Democratic redistricting efforts.” Davis’ name was not mentioned in the news release.
House Speaker Destin Hall said in a statement that Trump “has the clear confidence of voters in North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to protect that by winning additional Republican seats.” Trump has won North Carolina’s electors in all three presidential elections.
But state Democratic House leader Robert Reibs said Monday that his Republican colleagues are “stealing House districts to avoid accountability at the polls.”
The redistricting fight started in Texas and then expanded.
President Trump ignited a national redistricting battle over the summer by urging Republican-led Texas to redistrict its House districts to help Republicans pick up more seats next year. After overcoming a Democratic walkout, Texas lawmakers redistricted districts to give Republicans a chance to pick up five more seats.
The California Democratic Party also responded. The party passed its own redistricting plan aimed at winning five more seats, which must be approved by voters in November.
And Republican-led Missouri lawmakers approved revised The U.S. House district was intended to help Republicans win additional seats there. Other states, including Republican-led Indiana and Kansas, are also considering redistricting.
Some North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Monday focused their complaints on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has led the state’s redistricting efforts.
“We will vote in October to redraw North Carolina’s congressional maps so that Texas picks up where it left off and Gavin Newsom does not determine the legislative majority,” Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger said.
In response to X, Newsom called Berger “another Republican” and accused the GOP of “stealing the election and trying to cover it up with lies.”
Democratic governors do not have veto power over district boundaries.
The North Carolina General Assembly had already scheduled a multi-day session starting Oct. 20. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, and the redistricting plan is not subject to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto. Nomination submissions for 2026 are scheduled to begin on December 1st.
In a statement to voters, Mr. Stein said the redraw would allow “shameless politicians to abuse their power and try to take it away from you.”
With competitive midterm elections looming, Democrats need to win three more seats to take control of the House of Representatives. Presidents’ parties historically lose seats in midterm elections, something Trump is trying to avoid. A Democratic takeover could thwart Trump’s policies and lead to investigations into his actions, as happened during the president’s first term.
Lawsuits could alter or derail some map changes
Whether and how North Carolina’s House of Representatives pursues a more favorable redraw may depend on pending lawsuits brought by the state NAACP, Common Cause and voters challenging several current House districts, including the district represented by Davis, one of North Carolina’s three Black congressmen. The plaintiffs accuse Republican lawmakers of racially discriminating against Black voters by dividing and compacting voting blocs to help Republican candidates win. The trial ended in July without an immediate verdict.
U.S. House of Representatives districts are typically redrawn After the 10-year census. However, some states do not prohibit doing it more frequently. And the U.S. Supreme Court said there was no federal ban. political gerrymanderingwhen districts are intentionally drawn to favor one political party.
Opponents have filed lawsuits claiming that recent redistricting changes in Texas unconstitutionally dilute the votes of minority residents and that Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting changes are not allowed under the state constitution. Meanwhile, the Republican-led Utah Legislature recently approved changes to the state’s congressional map, but this was in response to a court order rather than a request by President Trump.
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This article has been corrected to show that North Carolina’s 1st District covers no less than but more than 20 counties.
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Associated Press writers David Reeve in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Isabella Vollmert in Lansing, Michigan contributed to this report.
