A nationwide redistricting battle is unfolding

A nationwide redistricting battle is unfolding, largely encouraged by President Donald Trump, as Republican-led legislatures across several states face growing pressure from the former president and his allies to create additional GOP-leaning congressional districts and solidify the party’s House majority.

In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers advanced a new congressional map, joining a series of states—including Texas and Missouri—undertaking aggressive redistricting efforts ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The proposed map would target the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis and give Republicans a likely advantage in 11 of the state’s 14 House seats, up from the current 10.

Once enacted, North Carolina’s new map would bring the number of newly drawn, Republican-favored districts nationwide this year to seven.

Meanwhile, in California, likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender and current Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to redistrict his state in a bid to counter the GOP-led effort throughout the country. A ballot issue set for a vote in November will determine whether the state assembly will be able to temporarily sideline California’s independent redistricting commission so that they can add five Democrat-leaning districts.

North Carolina has become the latest GOP-controlled state to launch a mid-decade redistricting effort — a process that has historically been uncommon, CNN reported.

North Carolina Sen. Ralph Hise, a Republican involved in overseeing the redistricting process, emphasized the high stakes of the effort in blunt terms.

“The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the congressional delegation,” he said.

If Democrats take control of the House, they will “torpedo President Trump’s agenda,” Hise noted further, per CNN.

State lawmakers convened their first public meeting on the new congressional map Monday morning and approved the proposal in the state Senate the following day, despite strong opposition from Democrats and protesters who gathered at the Capitol in Raleigh.

The measure now heads to the state House for consideration.

Under North Carolina law, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein does not have the authority to veto redistricting plans, CNN said.

North Carolina remains a battleground state, with Democrats such as Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper winning statewide elections in recent years. However, Republican leaders this week defended the newly drawn congressional map’s partisan tilt, arguing that it reflects Trump’s continued electoral successes there.

“This new map respects the will of the North Carolina voters who sent President Trump to the White House three times,” the state Sen. Phil Berger, the top Republican in the Senate, said in a statement, according to CNN.