RALEIGH, N.C. — As Republican lawmakers have worked on drawing new district maps for North Carolina to use in elections for the U.S. House of Representatives over the next decade, they've come up with multiple options.
None of the maps is exactly the same, with each making different choices on exactly where to split the lines. But so far, every single one does have one thing in common: a safe seat for any Republican who decides to run for it, centered around the home of North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore.
And in nearly every version there's no incumbent who might stand in the way, either.
Moore has largely ducked widespread rumors that he's eyeing a run for Congress, telling reporters in recent weeks as the maps have come together that he's still campaigning for his state legislative seat and that it's too early to say much more. But with even more maps coming out recently with that apparent carve-out for him, he did take questions Tuesday.
He largely had similar things to say, but also joked that maybe his fellow Republicans in charge of redistricting just want him gone.
"I mean, it is what it is, right?" Moore told reporters Tuesday. "I'm not overly concerned about it. I guess it tells me there's a lot of people here that want to get rid of me for some reason, right? That want to send me somewhere else. I don't know."
The maps aren't final yet, so there's always a chance Moore could wind up without an open seat in his neck of the woods in Cleveland County, a rural area on the South Carolina border about 40 miles west of Charlotte. Plus, he said, the maps will probably draw lawsuits once they pass. So even the version that passes the Legislature might not end up being the final version.
"There's no sure things in any of this," Moore said. "And I can tell you I haven't decided what I'm going to do."
At four terms, Moore is one of the longest-serving North Carolina House speakers. He is in his 10th term in the House. The man who was speaker of the House before him, Thom Tillis, rose from that position to his current seat in the U.S. Senate representing North Carolina.
