New electoral maps shake up Mecklenburg’s 2024 races – could GOP pick up more seats?
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North Carolina redistricting
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With the passage of new legislative and congressional maps by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, Mecklenburg County experienced some of the most notable changes in what districts voters live in and how that affects who they can vote for.
A Democratic powerhouse in recent elections, Mecklenburg’s newly drawn district lines could help Republicans win more seats in Congress and the General Assembly.
All of these changes, however, come with the caveat that courts could order changes to the maps before they can be used in 2024. One federal lawsuit has already been filed regarding the state Senate map, which plaintiffs argue illegally dilutes the voting power of Black residents in Eastern North Carolina.
Even if not explicitly involving Mecklenburg, any changes to the districts could have a ripple effect across the entire map.
Changes to the congressional map
In the congressional map used in the 2022 elections, Mecklenburg was split between two districts. Northern Mecklenburg and some of Cabarrus County made up District 12, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, while southern Mecklenburg and much of Gaston County made up District 14, represented by Rep. Jeff Jackson. Both Adams and Jackson are Democrats.
In the new map, however, Mecklenburg is split into three districts, only one of which is likely to elect a Democrat.
District 12 now encompasses all of Charlotte and stretches right up to the border of Cabarrus County. The area is reliably Democratic, so Adams is expected to keep her seat.
The northern tip of Mecklenburg, including Huntersville, as well as areas alongside the Gaston border, are included in the new District 14, which stretches west to Rutherford and Polk counties. This area is much more reliably Republican, which led Jackson to announce he would not seek reelection to Congress and will instead run for attorney general.
Some of eastern Mecklenburg, including Mint Hill and Matthews, is included in the new District 8, which stretches east into Robeson County. Republican Dan Bishop currently holds this seat, but announced he would step down from Congress to run for attorney general instead.
Several Republicans have announced their plans to run in NC-8, including Mark Harris, who was at the center of a 2018 ballot harvesting scandal. The district is safely Republican and no Democrats have announced plans to run in it yet.
Changes to the NC House map
Thirteen lawmakers currently represent Mecklenburg County in the state House — only one of which was elected as a Republican, Rep. John Bradford. Rep. Tricia Cotham, who switched parties to become a Republican after being elected, also represents Mecklenburg.
Cotham was elected in a Democratic-leaning district, but under the new House map, she’ll run in a district that includes parts of Matthews. The area leans Republican, but by a small margin, meaning a competitive race is likely. Cotham announced earlier this month she plans to run for reelection.
All of Mecklenburg’s new House districts are reliably Democratic, except for HD-105, where Cotham is running, and HD-98, which encompasses the northern tip of the county. Bradford currently holds this seat, but he is running for state treasurer, so the seat is open.
Changes to the NC Senate map
Six lawmakers currently represent Mecklenburg in the state Senate, and only one of them Sen. Vickie Sawyer, is a Republican.
One of the most notable changes for Mecklenburg in the new Senate map is that three-term Democratic Sen. Natasha Marcus, who represents western Charlotte and Huntersville, was drawn out of her seat.
The new map “double-bunks” Marcus by putting her in the same district as Sawyer, which would have forced her to run in a district that strongly favors Republicans.
After the map was enacted, Marcus announced that she would not seek reelection to the Senate, but may run for statewide office.
Republicans also have the potential to pick up a seat in the new District 42, which includes some of south Charlotte and Mint Hill.
The district is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Rachel Hunt, but she is running for lieutenant governor in 2024, leaving the seat open. SD-42 still leans Democrat, but could turn out to be a competitive race.
How do I find what district I’m in?
The General Assembly has interactive maps on its website at www.ncleg.gov/Redistricting that allow voters to type in their address and find their voting districts for:
Finding the district is easy, but it’s still a bit early to know exactly who you can vote for.
Official candidate filing doesn’t begin until Dec. 4, so voters can’t find all the candidates in their districts just yet. Candidate filing ends on Dec. 15, after which time the State Board of Elections will eventually post the official list of candidates on its website at www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists.
You can find who currently represents you in Congress and the legislature by typing in your address on a web page from the General Assembly, www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators.
The Charlotte Observer also has a list on its website of many of the candidates who have announced campaigns for statewide office and another list of all the congressional candidates so far.
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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