Republican General Assembly Leadership Announces Plan To Stop Gavin Newsom’s Congressional Takeover
Today, North Carolina legislative leaders announced plans to vote on restricting plans next week. Republican leaders point to President Donald Trump’s call for legislatures across the country to take action to counter Democrats ' efforts to take ‘ control of Congress away from Republicans. The North Carolina General Assembly will reconvene next week to consider updates to the Congressional map.
Last July, Texas announced plans to redistrict its Congressional map after a federal court ruling clarified that “coalition districts” are no longer required by federal law. Political observers believe this move would allow Republicans to gain five additional Congressional seats in Texas.
In response to this move, California Governor Gavin Newsom, who desperately wants to run for President, announced his intention to redistrict California to give all 52 Congressional seats to Republicans. In 2024, Republicans secured nearly 40% of the Presidential vote, but the heavily skewed maps only elected nine Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Newsom’s scheme requires approval from California’s voters, so he is heavily campaigning.
As noted by the New York Times, several Democrat controlled states already have maps that heavily favor Democrats, so as the redistricting battles continue, Republicans have a greater opportunity. As noted in the Blue Ridge Report, our weekly newsletter, Newsom has been spending heavily in North Carolina, boosting his profile with this redistricting issue. It's fairly clear that Newsom wants to build his brand outside California ahead of the 2028 Presidential campaign.
What They Are Saying:
North Carolina Speaker of the House Destin Hall said, “President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat. Our state won't stand by while Democrats like Gavin Newsom redraw districts to aid in their effort to obtain a majority in the U.S. House. We will not allow them to undermine the will of the voters and President Trump’s agenda.”
Senate Leader Phil Berger said, “President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office, and nine months into his second term he continues to achieve unprecedented wins. We are doing everything we can to protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress. Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional map to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn’t decide the congressional majority.”
House Redistricting Chairmen Brenden Jones and Hugh Blackwell said, “We’re stepping into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are attempting to rig the system to handpick who runs Congress. This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President Trump has called on us to fight back, and North Carolina stands ready to level the playing field.”
Senate Redistricting Chairman Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said, “North Carolina was at the forefront of the Democrats’ sue-until-blue scheme, and we’re prepared to bring forward a new Congressional map to defeat this new scheme.”