North Carolina GOP unveils House maps that would deal blow to Democrats

North Carolina’s House GOP members unveiled two new voting map proposals Wednesday that could deal a blow to state Democrats in the 2024 election. 

Senate redistricting committee leaders Wednesday revealed the pair of Congressional map proposals that would alter the boundary lines for the state’s 14 U.S. House seats and threaten seven Democrat seats. 

Statewide election data with Wednesday’s proposals said one of the Senate’s proposals would establish 10 districts that likely favor a Republican candidate, three that favor a Democrat and one that could be considered a close race. The other proposal shows Republicans likely winning 11 out of the 14 seats, according to The Associated Press (AP). 

The redrawn maps come after the North Carolina Supreme Court — which had a Democrat majority at the time — struck down the GOP-controlled General Assembly’s congressional and legislative maps drawn out in the fall of 2021, arguing the maps went against the state constitution’s barring of extensive partisan gerrymandering. 

The General Assembly was ordered to draw up new boundaries, and trial judges created an interim congressional plan that was used in the 2022 elections. The 2022 elections gave North Carolina’s U.S. congressional delegation an even split among parties, including seven Democrats and seven Republicans.

Last year, however, the state Supreme Court flipped to a Republican majority and overruled its previous decision that struck down the state’s GOP-drawn voting maps. The 5-2 party-line vote in April argued the claims of partisan gerrymandering are political questions that the state’s courts cannot decide. 

The Supreme Court ruled in April the General Assembly could still propose new district boundaries for use through the 2030 elections as the last ruling was decided by the previous Democratic majority court, per the AP. 

It was not immediately clear which of the proposed maps will advance in the Senate, according to the AP.

North Carolina is one of multiple states, others including New York, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama, that could experience changes to congressional maps ahead of the 2024 election. The decisions over these maps weigh heavy for Republicans, who are trying to hold on to their narrow majority in the House. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.