New congressional districts shake up NC politics

Movement in several of the state's congressional districts could have a trickle-down effect, potentially shrinking the field of U.S. Senate candidates while also creating new opportunities to join political leadership at the state level.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle are expected to vie for the congressional vacancies, potentially creating openings in the legislature.

Butterfield said redistricting was the most significant factor in his decision to retire.

“The congressional map that the Republican legislature handed to us on Nov. 4 is the most extreme piece of legislation that I have ever seen before,” he told WRAL News in an interview on Friday. “The map is gerrymandered. It's politically gerrymandered. It is racially gerrymandered.”

The state legislature is responsible for drawing new voting districts for federal and state races every 10 years to account for population changes. That means the dominant political party draws the maps and can give itself an advantage. Republicans have held a majority for a decade and recently approved new maps without the support of Democrats.

With the retirements of Butterfield and Price, the Democrats’ congressional delegation – five out of the 13 representatives – stands to lose several decades-worth of experience.

Democratic 12th District Congresswoman Alma Adams will be the only Democrat seeking re-election in 2022 who served in Congress prior to President Joe Biden’s election. Last year’s wins by 2nd District Congresswoman Deborah Ross and 6th District Congresswoman Kathy Manning were their first.

Manning could face a tough re-election effort; she has been placed in the same district as longtime Republican 5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx in the new 11th Congressional District.

The northeastern North Carolina district that Butterfield has represented since 2004 is now considered a toss-up by political experts after leaning more Democratic for years. His departure could set up a primary matchup of former colleagues.

State Sen. Don Davis, D-Pitt, who is considered a more moderate Democrat, is expected to run. If Davis were to run, it would create a vacancy in the state Senate. Party leaders have been working behind the scenes to discourage primary challengers, but it’s unclear if they’ll be able to clear the field for him.

“Elected officials and community leaders have been reaching out and urging Senator Smith to run [for Congress],” a spokesperson for Smith said in a statement to WRAL. “She appreciates the support and enthusiasm and is seriously considering running” in the newly created 2nd Congressional District, which is where Butterfield would have likely run had he sought re-election.

Price’s district, which will become the 6th Congressional District on the new map and is expected to stay Democratic, already has several candidates, including state Sens. Valerie Foushee, D-Orange, and Wiley Nickel, D-Wake, which could open up more seats in the state Senate. Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam is also running.

The redistricting hasn’t just affected Democrats’ plans. Cawthorn’s move from the 11th District to the new 13th District effectively blocked one of North Carolina’s most powerful politicians from running for the seat.

The 13th District is home to state House Speaker Tim Moore, who was widely expected to run for Congress in that district.

Cawthorn announced his plans in a video in which he suggested the 13th Dstrict might otherwise elect “go-along-to-get-along” Republicans, an allegation that former North Carolina Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse said was “insulting” to voters and other elected officials in that area.

Shortly after Cawthorn’s announcement, Moore said he wouldn’t run for Congress.

Had Moore, R-Cleveland, run and won in the 13th District, he would have created an opportunity for another Republican to move up in state House leadership. Moore’s decision not to run for Congress likely means now that he and state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, who isn’t expected to leave his post, will remain at the helm of the legislature.

There could be movement down the ranks, though.

Cawthorn’s move to the 13th District opens up a seat in the far western part of the state that will become the 14th Congressional District under the new maps. North Carolina picked up a 14th seat in the U.S. House because of population growth recorded in the 2020 census.

Representatives for Ballard and Szoka didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.