North Carolina Republicans push redistricting plan to add a House seat

A Republican-drawn congressional map intended to add a House seat for the party cleared its first committee vote Monday and won final approval in the state Senate early Tuesday, setting up an expected House vote as soon as Wednesday and likely legal challenges. The proposal would redraw North Carolina's 1st Congressional District in the northeastern coastal region and, according to statewide election data provided by the General Assembly, shift a seat that narrowly backed Donald Trump into a district that would have carried him by a wider margin, potentially increasing Republican representation from 10 seats to 11 of the state's 14 U.S. House districts.

Senate Republicans, including Sen. Ralph Hise who said he drew the map, framed the effort as a response to redistricting moves in other states and said they were acting to protect Republican influence in Congress. Hise also warned that a Democratic House majority in 2026 could derail the former president's agenda. Hise and other Republicans on the committee said racial data were not used in crafting the boundaries. "The purpose of this map was to pick up a Republican seat. We've stated that over and over again," Hise said during...