In yet more potentially quite good news for the Republican majority in Congress headed into the 2026 midterms, it appears that Republicans in the purple state of North Carolina are taking action to redistrict before the 2026 midterms, pushing another seat into the likely Republican majority headed into the key 2026 midterms.
As background, while much of the state of North Carolina leans left, the state’s large university complexes, particularly Duke and UNC, and the banking sector in Charlotte, have attracted a host of Democrat-leaning voters. That has, over time, pushed the state from being solidly red to generally purple. Right now, for example, it has a Democratic governor but a Republican-dominated legislature.
In any case, it was Axios that reported that North Carolina is considering engaging in a redistricting strategy, one that would help shift the 2026 midterms towards Trump in as important a way as Republicans in the state could manage. It provided, “A map redrawing is under consideration, multiple N.C. political insiders, who were not authorized to speak publicly about redistricting, told Axios.”
Continuing, the Axios report provided that there is one district at issue in North Carolina that could be modified substantially by the GOP in a way that would help out in 2026. “Redrawing the lines even slightly could ease Republicans’ path to victory in the 1st Congressional District — which most politicos believe is the only truly competitive race“, the report noted.
Further, the report noted that the 1st Congressional District, which appears likely to be targeted, is currently occupied by a moderate Democrat named Don Davis, who somehow managed to win his race despite being from a district that President Trump won in the presidential election. So, any small tinkering with it in a way that helps Republicans would be hugely useful headed into 2026.
That, it appears, is what Republicans plan on doing, as some relatively small changes to the district and what territories are included in it could push it back into the GOP camp. That would, in turn, mean that the state’s Republicans have an 11-3 instead of 10-4 advantage over the Democrats, which is, it appears, the best they can currently manage given the state’s composition.
North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, commenting on the matter in a post on X, after it was alleged that he is pushing for an endorsement from President Trump in exchange for redistricting, said, “I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress. We have drawn four Congressional maps in the last six years in redistricting fights with Democrats because of their sue-until-blue strategy. If we have to draw one more map this year, we will. That said, I’ve never spoken to President Trump about this or an endorsement. The Democrats are spreading lies to hurt President Trump. #ncpol”
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However, Eric Daugherty, a conservative X poster, indicated that such a change is on the horizon, saying, “BREAKING: Now, NORTH CAROLINA Republican leaders are planning to re-draw the state’s Congressional map for 2026 for Republicans, per CBS. Massive. This could FLIP North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District from blue to red.” He added, “BY THE WAY it doesn’t matter the governor is Democrat…in NC, the governor cannot veto Congressional maps.”