North Carolina Republicans on Wednesday approved a new congressional map that could cement their dominance in the state’s U.S. House delegation by potentially adding another GOP seat ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The move comes amid a wave of mid-decade redistricting efforts led largely by Republican lawmakers across the country, many heeding President Donald Trump’s calls to redraw maps in his party’s favor. In recent months, GOP-controlled legislatures in Texas and Missouri have approved new congressional boundaries designed to add Republican seats, while legislators in Kansas and Indiana are considering similar steps. Democrats, meanwhile, are pursuing efforts in states like California and Maryland to counter Republican gains.
In North Carolina, the GOP-controlled legislature passed its map 66–48 vote in the House, following the Senate’s approval on Tuesday.
State Sen. Ralph Hise, the Republican who led the redistricting process, was blunt about the intent: “The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: drawing a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina congressional delegation.” Republican members currently hold 10 of the state’s 14 seats in Congress.
Before the map was approved, Trump urged its passage, saying on social media that he would “encourage all of [his] Republican friends in the North Carolina Legislature to work as hard as they can to pass this new Map so that we can continue our incredible Record of SUCCESS.”
He added that the map would provide 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.”
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Retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, issued some words of caution to members of his party, warning to “be careful what you wish for” because North Carolina is a purple state and expanding the map could backfire on the party in a wave election.
Tillis, who served four years as the speaker of the state’s House, added that he pushed for an independent redistricting commission while working in both the minority and majority of the state legislature.
The most significant changes come in Democrat Don Davis’s 1st District, which loses several Democratic-leaning areas to a neighboring district, making it more favorable to Republicans. In his statement, Davis noted that the district voted for both him and Trump in 2024. Calling the move “beyond the pale,” he added that of the 46,616 messages his office has received since January, “not a single one” asked for a new congressional map in eastern North Carolina.
“RIP to free and fair elections in North Carolina,” the North Carolina Democratic Party said on X. “Republicans just passed rigged maps to keep power — turning our 50/50 state into an 11–3 Republican advantage at Trump’s request. They know they can’t win fair and square, so they rig the maps. This fight isn’t over. We’ll organize, we’ll mobilize, and we’ll take it back at the ballot box.”
