Redistricting fight in Texas renews gerrymandering debate in NC
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As Democratic lawmakers in Texas attempt to block a redistricting effort that could give house Republicans five new seats, it’s reignited debate over the issue of gerrymandering here in North Carolina.
Gerrymandering is the practice of redrawing a legislative district in a way that benefits one political party. Districts that are drawn this way are often irregularly shaped, and don’t align with the places they represent.
Usually, such maps are only drawn every 10 years—but in states like North Carolina and Texas—the ruling party has forced redistricting to stay in power.
As CFCC Political Science Instructor Nelson Beaulieu explains, both parties have been guilty of the practice in the past.
“The 7th Congressional District, which is the district that serves Wilmington and Brunswick County; that 7th Congressional District was held by a Democrat all the way up until 2014. That was the first time a Republican won it, and now it’s a safely drawn Republican district. So, this is not a one party problem.”
Democratic Representative Deb Butler of Wilmington feels lawmakers shouldn’t be the ones deciding.
“We could lead by example. We could put it in the hands of an independent commission. That takes one bill. It takes about an hour to accomplish it, but it’ll never happen in Republican hands,” she said.
In 2020, courts ordered North Carolina to redraw its maps, resulting in a delegation of 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
But after those districts were redrawn again by a Republican majority in 2023, the 2024 election saw only 4 Democrats win seats, while Republicans claimed 10.
The NAACP is currently suing over that 2023 map, saying it unfairly disenfranchises Black voters. New Hanover County Republican Party Chair John Hinnant disagrees with that claim.
“I feel like they’re a lot fairer than they were before. I think we’ve seen greater contiguously, like, they’re more contiguous,” he said.
Butler believes unfair districting only contributes to a growing political divide.
“If you have fair and balanced demographics within a district, that brings people to the middle—where good governance happens,” she explained. “Otherwise, you get these polarized extremes that we’re seeing, and nobody is a fan of that.”
Hinnant feels who draws the map is irrelevant in the end.
“The key with politics is run better candidates and win races,” he said, adding that NC Republicans won in 2010 using Democratic-drawn maps.
If a panel of three judges rule in favor of the NAACP in the lawsuit, Republicans would be forced to redraw NC congressional maps for the 2026 midterms. Otherwise, the maps will stay as they are until 2030.
WWAY also received a statement from Representative Frank Iler (R) that reads:
“First , the Democrats gerrymandered for over 150 years. One may remember the district created up I-85 from Charlotte to Greensboro so their guy in Charlotte could be elected. Everyone joked it looked like a snake. The last 14 years we have drawn the lines twice, except when ordered by the courts to redraw. Any complaints about gerrymandering could refer to a quote from a recent President named Obama, who said “Elections have consequences.” The next official redistricting should be in 2031, after the 2030 census. At the rate North Carolina is growing, we could gain another seat in Congress at the expense of New York or California.”
