NC Republicans unveil map with some districts drawn by Democrats
North Carolina Senate Republicans released a congressional map Wednesday that includes districts drawn by Democrats, an indicator that the minority party in the legislature may fare better in upcoming elections.
The state Supreme Court, which is majority Democrat, struck down a previous version of the map earlier this month and ordered the Republican-majority legislature to redraw it.
Several of the districts in the congressional map the state Senate unveiled Wednesday are districts drawn last year during the redistricting process by Sen. Ben Clark, a Democrat from Raeford.
Clark’s version of the map then included seven Democratic-leaning congressional districts and seven Republican-leaning districts — very different from the final map the legislature ultimately passed, and from the one released Wednesday.
Whatever map North Carolina’s legislature ultimately passes will play a role in determining which party is in control in Congress. If Republicans succeed in stripping Democrats of their majority, President Joe Biden’s first-term presidential agenda could be much more difficult to achieve.
Clark has announced plans to leave the legislature to run for U.S. House. One of the most prominent features of Clark’s map was a swing district in the Sandhills. Senate Republicans’ newly released map includes that district, where Clark would run.
Though the new map uses districts drawn by a Democrat, Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said in a statement Wednesday that Republicans have not been able to reach a consensus with Democrats on maps.
“I met with Sen. Blue on several occasions to hash out details,” Berger said referring to Senate minority leader Dan Blue, a Democrat from Wake County. “But at the end of the day yesterday it was clear we were not going to reach an agreement on how to respond to the court’s directions.”
Blue pushed back on that statement, however, saying the process has not been collaborative.
“It’s clear to me that Senate Republicans had no real interest in finding a legislative solution,” Blue said in a tweet.
Last year, over the objections of Democrats, the legislature passed a congressional map with 10 Republican-leaning districts and four Democratic-leaning districts.
After the court ruling, the state House released a new proposed map Tuesday night, though it remains unclear whether Democrats had a hand in drawing those districts. The legislature planned to debate and work to pass a new congressional map, along with state legislative maps, on Wednesday and Thursday.
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This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 9:42 AM.
