Redistricting North Carolina

Your wish is my command, possumtracker. This map assumes that NC gains a district, and I’ve actually made it less of a gerrymander.

NC-01 (brown, GK Butterfield – D) – I didn’t bother trying to make this majority-black; it’s a coalition district. I’m sure you could finagle it to 51% black if needed; currently it’s about 49% or so white. Either way, easy Dem district to hold.

NC-02 (very light purple, Bob Etheridge – D) – I’m not sure how strong this district is — it takes in half of Wake County (Raleigh) and Republican Johnston County. Probably a tossup district now.

NC-03 (pink, Walter Jones – R) – Extends the entire coastline, but is at least more contiguous now. Safe Republican.

NC-04 (green, David Price – D) – Still safe Dem, although I changed its boundaries to include Republican Alamance County, which is overwhelmed by Chapel Hill and Durham.

NC-05 (dark purple, Virginia Foxx – R) – Safe Republican district. Didn’t change much.

NC-06 (light purple, Howard Coble – R) – I excised all of Greensboro, so Coble would have to move to the suburbs (or retire, he’s 79), but it’s safe Republican.

NC-07 (red, Mike McIntyre – D) – This was annoying, because there’s not much Democratic territory in the southernmost point of North Carolina. I kept most of his district but gave Brunswick County to Jones. Still leans Republican.

NC-08 (light blue, Larry Kissell – D) – Shifted eastwards, picking up more of Fayetteville and some Republican areas of McIntyre’s district. Probably a little more Republican now.

NC-09 (yellow, Sue Myrick – R) – She’ll have to move to the suburbs too, but she gets a safe district still.

NC-10 (dark green, Patrick McHenry – R) – The district shrunk but is still safe Republican.

NC-11 (dark blue, Heath Shuler – D) – Also shrunk a bit, and is maybe a little more Democratic now that it doesn’t have a few of the district’s easternmost counties.

NC-12 (teal, Mel Watt – D) – Controversy! I dismantled his plurality-white district that snakes from Charlotte to Winston-Salem and gave him a safe, albeit majority-white, metro Charlotte district. I’m sure it probably violates VRA, but oh well.

NC-13 (magenta, Brad Miller – D) – This one shrunk as well, but remains centered in Raleigh.

NC-14 (grey, open) – A new Democratic seat that consists of Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Thanks, Mel!

9 thoughts on “Redistricting North Carolina”

  2. it makes more sense than the current map, and keeps me in a Democratic district, which many of the other proposed NC maps do not.  It makes a lot of sense to put GSO and W/S together.

  4. Though you’re not going to be able to just give the VRA the finger like that. Maybe NC-12 can go because it is a total mess, but at the absolute very least NC-01 is going to have to be plurality Black.

    I like your new NC-14 a lot. Greensboro and Winston-Salem areas shouldn’t have been so cracked.

    Is that really the best we can do with NC-08?

  5. I’m working on one myself that would be a mix of a traditional NC congressional map and something new like this.  It is tough, as I’m sure you found out, to create black-majority districts and dilute GOP strength.

    I think with a strong party in NC (which we have), we have a good chance in most of these seats.  As someone who used to live in the 5th (now in the 13th), I always hate to see the GOP get strengthened there, which you’ve done by throwing in Mitchell and Avery (in mine, I split those damn things up).

    The state legislature will be real big on keeping counties/”communities of interest” together to avoid more lawsuits and you seem to have done a good job of that, although I think your coastal district will be tough to pass muster – it takes HOURS to drive up our coast.

    I’m not working on a 14-seat map though; I’m not convinced we’ll have a new one.

    but good job!

  6. I have not a clue on how to create this new district.  The I-85 corridor (Watt’s district) has been a thorn in my side for years.  

    Of your districts, I’m fine with all of them except for districts 2 and 7.  I think both of them will be harder for the Democrats to keep for the long-term.  Harnett and Johnston counties are very Republican, and District 2 will be harder to keep with these counties in the fold.  I’d like to have district 7 keep all of Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender county.

    Overall, a good map, but I’m not convinced we will gain a 14th seat.  The economy in NC has tanked, and I just don’t see a lot of new transplants coming in before the 2010 Census.  I honestly believe we have less than a 50% chance of getting a new seat.  If we don’t receive the 14th seat, I’d like to shore up district 8 and clean up district 12.  Also, I’d like a natural border  between 1 and 3, much in the way you have done.  The current map looks like a warped jigsaw puzzle.

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