New NC maps draw Jeff Jackson out of a district, give Tim Moore a chance to run

North Carolina lawmakers have drawn Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Charlotte, out of his district — just as he predicted.

At the same time, mapmakers created room for state House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County, to run for Congress if he so chooses.

That’s the case in both of two congressional maps released by state Senate Republicans on Wednesday afternoon that could win approval in the GOP-dominated legislature next week. One of them would take North Carolina from a 7-7 split between Republicans and Democrats to a map that gives Republicans 10 seats, Democrats three seats and leaves one swing district. A second map would create an 11-3 split in the Republicans favor.

Among the Democrats who would likely lose their seat under both versions is Jackson, whose district would go from blue to red based on data from past elections. Jackson said Wednesday in a written statement that gerrymandering is open political corruption.

“It shows weakness — never strength,” Jackson said. “It was wrong when my party did it and it is wrong when the other party does it.”

Jackson currently represents North Carolina’s first ever 14th Congressional District. The state was granted an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the last census showed its population had increased.

Jackson made himself more well-known by creating weekly, easy-to-understand TikTok videos that break down what is happening in Congress each week.

Jackson only won after seizing an unexpected opportunity in 2022.

Republicans first drew a district that would favor Moore if he chose to run. At the same time, they slightly diluted the district to the far west, making it a bit more challenging for former Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a young and controversial lawmaker.

Cawthorn announced he would hop over and run against Moore in the district to his east. That move made Moore immediately announce he wouldn’t run for Congress. In the end, a court-ordered redrawing made the 14th more favorable for a Democrat. Cawthorn returned to the far-west district where he lost in a primary election.

Jackson, who had just pulled out of a U.S. Senate race to allow Democrats to put their entire support behind his opponent, who ultimately lost, ran for House instead and won with more than 57% of the vote against Republican Pat Harrigan.

Harrigan has already announced his intention to run again.

Jackson, who is rumored to be eyeing an attorney general run, has said he needed to see how state lawmakers drew the maps before making a decision. He had predicted the new map would leave him without a favorable district.

He didn’t comment on his plans Wednesday.

Moore announced he would not seek reelection for both House speaker or his legislative seat, but had remained mum on what his plans are next.

Both proposed maps center a district on his home county of Cleveland, with one end in Mecklenburg County and the other in the mountains. One would stretch as far west as Buncombe County.

Moore did not return a voicemail seeking comment.

This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 6:28 PM with the headline "New NC maps draw Jeff Jackson out of a district, give Tim Moore a chance to run."

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of the impact of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.