North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature has passed a new congressional district map aimed at expanding the GOP’s hold on the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The move, widely seen as part of a coordinated national redistricting effort backed by former President Donald Trump, is expected to deliver at least one additional Republican seat in a state already divided nearly evenly between the two major parties.
The new map builds on boundaries first redrawn in 2023 following the 2020 census, when Republicans secured 10 of North Carolina’s 14 House seats during the 2024 election cycle. Although Democrats remain competitive statewide, GOP leaders say the new lines reflect population growth and shifts in political representation.
Under state law, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein cannot veto redistricting legislation, allowing the revised plan to take effect unless it is overturned in court. Lawsuits are already being prepared by voting rights groups and Democratic officials, who argue that the map further entrenches partisan control.
North Carolina now joins Texas and Missouri among the Republican-led states to embrace mid-decade redistricting—a strategy designed to strengthen the GOP’s national standing before the next federal elections. In Texas, lawmakers have advanced a plan to reconfigure several Democratic-held districts following a federal court ruling that invalidated older boundaries. Republican officials there have described their efforts as compliance with demographic realities, though critics see them as blatant gerrymandering.
GOP state leaders maintain that redistricting is a legitimate tool for ensuring “fair representation,” while Democrats insist it undermines electoral integrity. “This is beyond the pale,” said U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a North Carolina Democrat whose 1st District would disappear under the new plan.
Trump celebrated the approval online, calling it a win for “putting America First,” while North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall echoed the sentiment: “We’re putting America First in NC!”