Democrats may lose four House seats due to state Supreme Court’s gerrymandering decision.

North Carolina Republicans’ 2024 Path Cleared for Partisan Gerrymandering

Get ready for some political maneuvering in North Carolina. The state Supreme Court recently overturned a past ruling that disallowed partisan gerrymandering, paving the way for Republicans to create a map that more heavily favors their party in the upcoming 2024 elections.

The Ruling

The Republican-majority court effectively reversed a 2022 decision from the then-Democratic-controlled court that declared the Republican-drawn political districts as partisan gerrymanders, declaring states have no authority to counter districts drawn by the legislature.

NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS RULING THAT DISALLOWED PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING

This ruling could have significant implications for North Carolina’s current 7-7 House delegation, setting them up in 2024 to pass a new map and potentially removing four Democratic seats, which would give the GOP an 11-3 majority.

The Four Democratic Seats at Risk

• The 1st District: The current representative controlling North Carolina’s rural northeastern seat is Democrat Donald Davis, who beat Republican Sandy Smith in a 52.3% to 47.7% majority in the 2022 election.
• The 6th District: The 6th district, located in the northern part of North Carolina, is currently occupied by Kathy Manning, the policy co-chair of the Democratic women’s caucus and member of the pro-abortion rights caucus.
• The 13th District: In 2022, Democrat Wiley Nickel defeated Republican Bo Hines, in a 51.6% to 48.4% majority, effectively flipping the seat to blue for the first time since 2010.
• The 14th District: The southwestern district, which was one of seven new House districts created by the 2020 census, is currently occupied by Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson.

Republicans are now most likely to pursue similar restricting efforts as they could draw up a new map at any time. The GOP may seek to create new Republican seats in the southwest while eliminating Democratic seats, potentially setting up for a rematch against Democratic incumbents.

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Democrats are on the defensive in 2024, as they seek to regain the House and hold on to their slim majority in the Senate.