Democrats’ hold on a House swing district in North Carolina’s northeastern corner is in jeopardy after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved a new congressional map Tuesday.
The redrawn lines, which are expected to receive final approval by the GOP-led state House later this week, would dramatically reshape North Carolina’s 1st District, a purple swath represented by second-term Democratic Rep. Don Davis. The seat would shift from one Donald Trump carried by 3 points to one that would have backed him by 12 points, according to data released by the state General Assembly.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein does not have the power to veto congressional and legislative maps in the Tar Heel State, though the new boundaries would likely be the subject of legal challenges.
The Republican-led effort in North Carolina is part of a nationwide mid-decade redistricting push by Trump and his allies, who are seeking to bolster the GOP’s chances of maintaining its House majority in 2026.
Republicans already dominate North Carolina’s congressional delegation, holding 10 of the state’s 14 House seats.
In addition to the 1st District, the new map would update the boundaries of the 3rd District held by Republican Greg Murphy, changing Trump’s winning 2024 margin there from 22 points to around 14 points.
Davis, one of 13 House Democrats who represent districts that backed Trump in 2024, won a second term last year by 2 points. A spokesperson for Davis, whose home in Snow Hill would shift to the 3rd District, told Spectrum News that if the new map is approved, the congressman would run for reelection from either the 1st or 3rd districts.
Davis said on social media late Monday that he has heard from constituents from both parties who believe the redistricting effort “fundamentally goes against our core values and would undermine everything we stand for.”
Murphy, meanwhile, said last week that he was weighing the revised congressional lines, noting that the new map “splits the counties I now represent down the middle.”
“I look forward to running & winning in ‘26 to continue representing [eastern] NC,” he said on social media Friday.
Trump on Friday thanked state Republicans for the new map, saying on his Truth Social platform that it would “give the fantastic people of North Carolina the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
Following Trump’s push, Texas and Missouri Republicans approved new maps earlier this year that could collectively help their party pick up as many as six additional House seats, provided the efforts withstand legal and other challenges. Democrats in California responded to Texas’ move by redrawing their state’s map in a quest to win five additional seats, though voters would need to approve that plan via a November ballot measure before it can be implemented.
Other mid-decade redistricting efforts are also underway, including in Kansas. Ohio is required under its constitution to redraw its map this cycle, while Utah could also see new congressional lines following a court order.
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