NCGA passes blatantly biased redistricting, but no budget
State lawmakers spent the week pushing through a new congressional map for North Carolina that's designed to give Republicans a significant electoral advantage. It chiefly affects District 1, which encompasses northeastern N.C.'s Black Belt region. The district has been represented by Democrats for over a century, with Black legislators holding the seat since Eva Clayton took office in 1992.
The district has been redrawn three times in as many election cycles. In 2024, Democratic incumbent Don Davis won re-election despite the use of maps that packed slightly more Republican voters than Democrats into the district.
The new map gives Republicans an even greater voter registration advantage in District 1 and moves Davis's residence outside the district. Read more from N.C. Newsline.
Moving some Democratic voters out of District 1 and into District 3 will make District 3 more competitive, but likely not enough to unseat Republican incumbent Greg Murphy.
Congressional redistricting is happening across the U.S. in response to President Trump’s desire to shore up the U.S. House, with red states seeking to help him and blue states seeking to offset their efforts. N.C. legislative leaders were unabashed in saying that this week's remapping was expressly meant to support Trump.
The new maps drew thousands of public comments that had no apparent effect on lawmakers, yet created an extensive public record of opposition. Electoral mapping is solely the purview of the General Assembly – Gov. Josh Stein can't veto the legislation. The maps can only be challenged in court, and several groups have indicated they'll take that step. Read the N.C. Chapter's response to the redistricting bill.
In other activity:
The House and Senate remained at odds on Medicaid funding despite sending a flurry of bills between chambers. Medicaid cuts began Oct. 1.
Lawmakers did pass a mini budget, S449, Continuing Budget Operations Part IV, which contains a provision to allow the Environmental Management Commission to employ its own staff – a move to further distance the EMC from subject-matter experts at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
Governor Stein signed the bill, which contained many other provisions, including:
- A $1.5 million budget allocation for avian flu response,
- An extension of interest-only repayment for Hurricane Helene bridge loans, and
- An extension of tree ordinance restrictions in disaster-declared counties.
The General Assembly adjourned with potential dates still on the calendar for mid-November and mid-December, but with waning hopes of House and Senate Republicans resolving their differences and passing a full budget this calendar year.