President Donald Trump and his allies are increasingly pressuring Republican-controlled legislatures in several states to secure more GOP seats in order to strengthen the party’s majority in the US House, sparking a nationwide redistricting battle.
The Republicans in charge of the legislature in North Carolina moved swiftly on Monday to go forward with a new congressional map, joining an increasing number of states that are redistricting in advance of the midterm elections next year. The map will be sent to the House after a vote by the state’s Senate on Tuesday morning.
Targeting the US House district currently held by Democratic Representative Don Davis, the proposed design seeks to give Republicans the upper hand in 11 of North Carolina’s 14 House seats, up from the current 10. The most recent Republican-controlled state to start redistricting in the middle of the decade is the Tar Heel State. After next year’s legislative elections, Democrats only need to flip a few seats to seize control of the House, as the president’s party usually loses ground in midterm elections.
On Monday, Republican Sen. Ralph Hise of North Carolina, who is supervising the map-drawing, made a blunt admission of the high stakes. During a Senate election committee meeting on Monday, he stated, “The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the congressional delegation.”
Hise went on to say that if Democrats win the House, they will “torpedo President Trump’s agenda.” The Trump “has called on Republican-controlled states across the country to fight fire with fire,” according to Hise. That call is answered by this map. The map and Trump’s travels across the nation were denounced by Democrats as a blatant attempt to seize power.
The Ongoing State-by-State Battle
Lawmakers wearing deep red with a map aiming to elect five more Republicans to Congress, Texas launched this year’s political arms race. Republicans in Missouri have also drawn new lines to increase the number of GOP representatives in the state’s congressional delegation. Both are being challenged in court, and Missouri activists are attempting to get the map overturned by means of a petition drive.
California, which started a redistricting campaign in response to Texas, has so far shown the strongest opposition among Democrats. To convince voters to temporarily ignore congressional boundaries created by an independent panel next month and give Democrats up to five additional US House seats, a multimillion-dollar advertising and get-out-the-vote effort is now in progress.
When it comes to the number of states that potentially have their maps redone, Republicans have a distinct advantage over Democrats. In 23 states; compared to 15 for Democrats; the GOP controls both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office.
Other Republican states are also considering new maps, including as Kansas, where lawmakers have approved $460,000 to support a special session that would target four-term Representative Sharice Davids, the state’s only Democrat in Washington. To call a special session, two-thirds of the state Senate and House must concur.
The White House has asked the Republican-controlled state legislature to target at least one of the Democratic-held seats in Indiana, where Republicans have a 7-2 advantage in the US House. JD Vance, the vice president, has made two trips to the state to influence lawmakers. Ohio and Utah, two other Republican-controlled states, are also embroiled in redistricting disputes that started prior to Trump’s election.
Political Tensions Rise Among Democrats in North Carolina
North Carolina Republicans have hurried to comply with Trump’s requests. Democratic Governor Josh Stein is not able to veto the maps under North Carolina law. Last week, state lawmakers started working on a map, and on Monday morning, a Senate elections committee openly discussed it for the first time.
The map “would give the fantastic people of North Carolina the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections, which would be A HUGE VICTORY for our America First Agenda, not just in North Carolina, but across our Nation,” the president wrote last week on Truth Social, expressing his admiration for the map.
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