North Carolina’s GOP State Legislature Passes Gerrymandered Map 

President Donald Trump is acutely aware that his agenda isn’t popular. His approval rating has consistently been underwater for most of his second term. Despite campaigning on lowering prices, inflation is higher now than it was this time last year, resulting in widespread disapproval of Trump’s handling of the economy. So it comes as no surprise that President Trump has spent the last several months pressuring Republican led states to redistrict their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Wednesday, North Carolina joined Texas and Missouri in implementing new, gerrymandered maps designed to create more Republican seats in the House of Representatives. 

According to CBS News, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed the new congressional map that potentially adds another seat for Republicans by making the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis more favorable to the GOP. While Texas and Missouri are fairly strong Republican strongholds, North Carolina is somewhat of a swing state. While North Carolina has a Republican state legislature, Gov. Josh Stein is a Democrat. Under North Carolina’s state law, Stein cannot veto the new map. 

“If I did have that power, I assure you I would veto this map,” Stein said in a video on Wednesday. “Republican legislative leaders are abusing their power to take away yours. They’re afraid they will lose in the midterms and afraid to say no to the President, so they’ve turned their backs on you to silence your vote in the 2026 election.”

Rep. Suzan Delbene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that the map “was clearly drawn to dilute the voting power of Black voters by dismantling the Black Belt to stop North Carolinians from holding Trump and House Republicans accountable for ignoring the needs of hardworking Americans.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the Democratic Party plans to sue North Carolina, as he believes the maps “clearly violate the voting rights.”

The Republican redistricting effort began in July when President Trump pressured Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to start a rare, mid-decade redistricting process. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years in response to new Census data. The Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House, with Democrats originally only needing a net gain of three seats to flip control. 

Despite Texas having recently implemented new maps in 2021, Abbott complied with Trump’s request and exploited the tragic Kerr County floods to call a special legislative session. While you’d think flood relief would’ve been the top priority, state Republicans immediately got to work drawing a new congressional map that adds five new House seats in districts Trump won. 

Texas Democrats did their best to protest the maps. They filibustered, fled the state to break quorum, and at one point, Rep. Nicole Collier was held political prisoner on the state House floor after refusing police surveillance upon returning to the state. 

Missouri’s state legislature quickly followed suit and began a redistricting effort of its own that potentially adds one more Republican seat in the House. President Trump has also pressured state legislatures in Florida and Indiana to begin redistricting efforts of their own. While the Florida state legislature formed a committee to figure out how they’d implement a new map, the Indiana effort has stalled out. On Wednesday, Molly Swigart, communications director for the Indiana Senate Majority Caucus, told reporters, “The votes aren’t there for redistricting.” Despite being a predominantly red state, public support for a mid-decade redistricting effort has been low in Indiana. 

The modern GOP believes it is entitled to power, regardless of how the population at large feels about its job performance. Instead of implementing policies that would lower health care prices, make the cost of living manageable, and generally improve the lives of all Americans, the Republican Party would rather cheat to win. As a result, several Democrat led states have begun exploring redistricting efforts of their own. The most notable is California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced the “Election Rigging Response Act” in August.

A special election will take place on Nov. 4 in California, where voters will determine if control of the state’s congressional maps stays with an independent redistricting committee or temporarily shifts to the state legislature until 2030. Should voters transfer control to the state legislature, Newsom intends to implement a map that neutralizes the gains made in the Texas redistricting effort. 

A poll released by CBS News on Wednesday revealed that 62% of likely voters support Prop 50, which would transfer control to the state legislature. While Democrats have substantially outspent Republicans in advertising ahead of the election, it also doesn’t hurt that Gov. Newsom has gained a massive ally in former President Barack Obama. “The essence of Prop 50 is to say that if you are going to play that game, then we are going to try to counteract that abuse of the system,” Obama said during a virtual event with Newsom on Wednesday.

“The problem that we are seeing right now is that our current president and his administration is explicitly saying that ‘we want to change the rules of the game midstream in order to insulate ourselves from the people’s judgment,’” Obama added.

In addition to California, Democrats have also begun conversations about potential redistricting efforts in Maryland and Illinois. It cannot be overstated how the redistricting efforts by the GOP undermine the democratic process and pose an existential threat to the concept of free and fair elections in America. The Democratic redistricting push isn’t simply about taking control of the House; it’s about protecting democracy in America. 

SEE ALSO:

North Carolina Lawmakers Announce Redistricting Effort

Texas GOP Reveals Who Drew Map, DOJ Order In Redistricting Lawsuit

President Trump Eyes Florida And Indiana In Redistricting Push

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Launching Redistricting Effort

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe Sets Special Session For Redistricting

Texas Democrats Will Return To State After Special Session Ends

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom Counters Texas Redistricting Effort With One Of His Own

Redistricting: Majority Black Voting Maps Rejected In Louisiana

Critics Call Texas Governor’s New Congressional Map Gerrymandering

US Senator John Cornyn, FBI Team Up To Hunt Texas Democrats

Texas State Dems Break Quorum To Prevent Redistricting Vote

Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Arrest Of Texas Democrats

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Sues To Remove Democratic Rep In Redistricting Fight

Racial Gerrymandering Lawsuit Filed Over Texas Voting Map