Republican lawmakers in North Carolina announced a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, setting up a bitter fight with Democrats.

Redistricting reentered the national dialogue in August when Texas unveiled an aggressive plan to strip Democrats of five House seats, threatening a nationwide gerrymandering arms race. Several red states followed suit when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) unveiled his own plan for retaliation. After weeks of few developments, North Carolina became the next state to take up the issue, with Republicans looking to redraw a more favorable map.

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North Carolina’s Republican legislators said the planned redraw “follows President Donald Trump’s call urging legislatures across the country to take action to nullify Democrat redistricting efforts.”

The state legislators already had previous success in 2023, drawing a map that changed the 7-7 Republican-Democrat split in 2022 into a 10-4 ratio in 2024. If they get their way, they’re looking to take one more seat and set the ratio 11-3 in 2026.

The redraw won’t need to be dramatic to take one more seat — Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) already occupies a precarious position, winning by just 2% last year.

VANCE TO MEET WITH INDIANA REPUBLICANS FOR SECOND TIME IN REDISTRICTING EFFORT

The White House has encouraged the nationwide Republican redistricting effort, hoping to shore up its position to prevent a Democratic takeover of the House and Senate in 2026.

Vice President JD Vance met with Indiana Republicans last week to encourage them to carry out their own redistricting effort. A previous visit had caused many state Republicans to backtrack their previous opposition.