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North Carolina Republicans approved a new House map Wednesday, making the Tar Heel State the latest to redraw its congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. It’s unclear, though, how many other states will move forward with similar plans in the coming weeks.
The new North Carolina map makes Democratic Rep. Don Davis’ bid for a third term tougher than it already was. His 1st District shifts from one that Donald Trump won last year by 3 points to one he would have carried by 12 points, according to data released by the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly. The seat swaps territory with the state’s 3rd District, represented by Republican Greg Murphy, where Trump’s margin of victory from 2024 drops from 22 points to 14 points.
Davis, whose home was moved to the 3rd District, is reportedly weighing reelection from either seat. Murphy said Thursday morning that he will seek a fourth full term from the 3rd District. The new lines are expected to face legal challenges, like recently enacted maps in Texas and Missouri.
Mid-decade redistricting efforts in other states, namely Indiana and Illinois, appear to have hit roadblocks.
A spokesperson for Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray told Politico on Wednesday that Republicans don’t have the votes to enact a map that would target at least one of the state’s two Democratic House members, despite the White House’s push for the state to change its map.
Still, Politico reports that GOP Gov. Mike Braun could call a special session to redraw the map as soon as next week.
In Illinois, where some Democrats hope to squeeze out an extra seat to counter the GOP-led redistricting moves elsewhere, the Illinois Black Senate Caucus says it won’t support a new map that dilutes the Black vote in historically Black districts, Punchbowl News reports. Time is of the essence if Illinois legislators are going to redraw their map, as Nov. 3 is the state’s filing deadline for the March primaries.
Meanwhile, Virginia is the latest state to enter the redistricting fray, The New York Times reported Thursday, with Democratic state legislators eyeing a redraw of the state’s current court-approved map.
And there’s less than two weeks before Election Day in California, when voters will weigh in on Proposition 50, which asks voters to authorize a map drawn by state Democrats in response to the redistricting effort in Texas. A new CBS News/YouGov poll found that 62 percent of likely voters planned to vote in favor of Proposition 50, while 38 percent were opposed.
Starting gate
Confusion reigns: Candidates running in November’s special election for Texas’ 18th District are confronting voter confusion as they vie to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner. State Republicans redrew the district lines over the summer, but the election is taking place under the previous map.
Sununu seeks comeback: Former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu announced Wednesday that he will run for his old seat in 2026 after nearly two decades out of office. The Republican is looking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who defeated him in 2008.
Massie challenger: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a prominent Republican Trump critic, has drawn a primary challenge from retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who launched his bid for the commonwealth’s 4th District this week with the president’s backing.
Dem vets: House Democrats who are also military veterans criticized Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry, a former House Freedom Caucus chair facing a tough reelection race next year, for suggesting on a radio show that Democrats who served in the military did so for political purposes, our colleague Mark Satter reports. Perry said he was only referring to lawmakers who use their military service “as a shield to insulate themselves from accountability” for their political beliefs.
Lawsuit filed: The state of Arizona and Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to allow someone other than Speaker Mike Johnson to swear Grijalva into office, Roll Call’s Michael Macagnone reports. It’s been a month since Grijalva won a special election to complete the term of her late father, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, but the House hasn’t been in session, prompting a standoff between Johnson and Democrats.
Fresh out the slammer: Trump announced late Friday that he had commuted the sentence of disgraced former Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from the House in 2023. The New York Republican pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after prosecutors charged him with various schemes, including one that accused him of inflating his campaign’s fundraising numbers to receive financial support from the national party.
Life after Congress: Former Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, now the head of government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spoke to Roll Call Managing Editor Jessica Wehrman for our recurring series on what ex-lawmakers have been up to since leaving Congress. For Davis, it includes time spent chasing after Finnegan, a half Yorkie, half Shih Tzu, and splitting his time between central Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Jupiter, Fla.
ICYMI
Primary endorsements: Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed fellow Democrat and former Rep. Melissa Bean, who is making a comeback bid in Illinois’ 8th District. Bean’s successor in the House, former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh, who has since switched parties, is backing Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison in the Democratic primary. In Maine, Democratic former Rep. Mike Michaud has endorsed state Auditor Matt Dunlap, who is challenging Rep. Jared Golden for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District. And in Missouri, progressive group Justice Democrats is backing former Rep. Cori Bush’s quest to oust fellow Democrat Wesley Bell from the 1st District seat she once held.
Primary challengers: Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles has drawn a primary challenge from fellow Republican Charlie Hatcher, a former state Department of Agriculture commissioner. In Maryland, Baltimore City Councilmember Mark Conway is challenging Rep. Kweisi Mfume in the 7th District Democratic primary.
Battleground launches: Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda entered the race to succeed Rep. David Schweikert in the 1st District with Trump’s backing. In Alaska, Anchorage pastor Matt Schultz, who’s been a reliable voice for progressive Christian views, is challenging Republican freshman Nick Begich for the state’s at-large district. In Virginia, physician Nila Devanath joined the growing Democratic primary to take on GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans in the 2nd District. In Colorado, combat veteran Matt Cavanaugh is running as an independent against Republican Rep. Jeff Crank in the 5th District. And in Indiana, Porter County Commissioner Barb Regnitz is seeking the GOP nomination to take on vulnerable Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan in the 1st District.
#AZ05: Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican Senate nomination in Arizona last cycle, announced a bid for the deep-red open seat that GOP Rep. Andy Biggs is vacating to run for governor. A poll released before he entered the race showed Lamb with a commanding primary lead over former NFL kicker Jay Feely and former state Rep. Travis Grantham.
Reaching across the map: Run for Something has launched a $50 million effort to recruit, train and elect progressive Gen Z and millennial candidates in purple states such as Arizona and North Carolina, as well as in deep-red states like Mississippi, Idaho and Texas.
#MEGOV: Democrat Nirav D. Shah, who served as Maine’s top public health official during the COVID-19 crisis and was briefly the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, announced he is running for governor of the Pine Tree State. Both sides are hosting crowded primaries next year in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
Oops: Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ campaign says it made a mistake when it reported a $3,500 payment to the GOP congresswoman’s son for consulting work. A spokesman for Miller-Meeks told Iowa Starting Line that the money was supposed to be drawn from her personal account and the campaign has since filed an amended report.
Nathan’s notes
Recent polling from Texas has shown Republican Sen. John Cornyn closing the gap with his chief primary challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton. While that’s welcome news for the senator and his establishment Republican supporters, Cornyn remains extremely vulnerable in his bid for a fifth term, especially with Rep. Wesley Hunt now in the race, writes Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales of Inside Elections.
Meanwhile, Sununu’s comeback bid in New Hampshire has prompted Inside Elections to update its rating of the state’s open Senate race. While Democrats remain favored to hold the seat, Republican chances of a flip have improved, Nathan writes.
What we’re reading
The heart wants what it wants: Democrats keep resting their hopes on charismatic but untested candidates, and they continue to be disappointed. Politico Magazine examined the trajectory of some of the party’s recent viral stars, many of whom have ultimately fallen short of their lofty promise.
On the Wu train: Globe Magazine profiles Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has vanquished all competitors, leaving her poised to win her second term.
Collins in the middle: Maine Sen. Susan Collins should be at the top of her game as the first Republican woman to lead the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Yet her ascent couldn’t come at a worse time, according to The Boston Globe. Collins is grappling with the political fallout from the shutdown and the upheaval of the Trump administration as she gears up for what’s likely to be a bruising battle for reelection.
Playing ball: A study by a pair of political scientists found a correlation between participation in the Congressional Baseball Game and the likelihood of bipartisan cooperation, even at a time when opportunities for members to work across party lines are declining.
Island swing: City Island, a 253-acre strip of the Bronx situated in Long Island Sound, is one of New York City’s swingiest neighborhoods. It’s a place where Black Lives Matter signs and thin blue line flags coexist on the same street, and that political split could be reflected in the enclave’s vote for mayor, as detailed by writer and former congressional aide Michael Lange in his Substack, The Narrative Wars.
#MESEN: Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner has been defiant over the past week as revelations about his past online statements, as well as a tattoo he said he covered up this week because it resembled a Nazi symbol, have shaken up the Democratic primary, CNN reports.
The count: 38 years
That’s how long it’s been since a Democrat in elective office has challenged Nancy Pelosi in a primary.
On Wednesday, California state Sen. Scott Wiener launched a campaign for Pelosi’s San Francisco-anchored 11th District. The 85-year-old former speaker, who has represented a version of the seat since 1987, is expected to announce her 2026 plans after the state’s Nov. 4 elections, Politico reported this week.
The last time Pelosi faced a Democrat with any record of electoral success was in her initial 1987 special election to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Sala Burton. In that wide-open race, Pelosi won the Democratic nomination over four San Francisco city supervisors, finishing nearly 4,000 votes ahead of Harry G. Britt, a Democratic Socialist who had succeeded Harvey Milk on the board.
Wiener, a longtime figure in San Francisco politics, joins a growing primary that includes Democrat Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who entered the race in February and has loaned his campaign more than $700,000. Potential contenders for the seat if Pelosi steps down include her daughter Christine Pelosi, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chang and former Supervisor Jane Kim.
Under California rules, all candidates will compete on the same primary ballot, with the top two finishers, regardless of party, advancing to the general election.
— By Roll Call’s Ryan Kelly
Coming up
Fundraising reports for the Nov. 4 special election in Texas’ 18th District are due Friday at 12:01 a.m. and could provide further clarity on the shape of the nonpartisan contest. If no one gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the two highest vote-getters would determine the winner.
Photo finish
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The post At the Races: More maps, more problems appeared first on Roll Call.
