Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) is fighting back after the North Carolina state legislature gerrymandered his seat out of existence for the next election cycle.
The second-term U.S. congressman, who came from the state Senate, is introducing a bill in the U.S. House that would forbid states from redistricting after the mandated redrawing following the decennial census.
Davis’s Stop Retaliatory Redistricting Act of 2025, reported by Punchbowl, follows the successful votes in the North Carolina House and Senate to pass a new congressional redistricting map that puts him out of a seat. By state law, Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) cannot veto a redistricting map.
The state is divided into 14 congressional districts. Davis represents the 1st District, which covers much of the northeastern part of the state, including the cities of Rocky Mount, Goldsboro, and Kinston. His district is a toss-up, and the new congressional map changes the geography and demographics of the district to help the GOP’s chances.
Davis’s proposed bill would prohibit mid-decade redistricting in all states unless it is court-mandated. The bill is retroactive, meaning it applies to any map redrawn “after the regular decennial census conducted during 2020” and includes the recently redistricted map in North Carolina.
The North Carolina redistricting measure is facing a lawsuit. Plaintiffs argue it violates the Voting Rights Act by moving counties made up predominantly of black voters out of the 1st District, according to WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio.
DEMOCRATS TRY TO KEEP UP WITH REPUBLICANS IN NATIONAL REDISTRICTING WAR
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who could be out of a job if voters affirm California’s Proposition 50 on Nov. 4, introduced a similar bill to that of Davis’s in August.
Kiley’s bill, however, only applies “to any Congressional redistricting which occurs after the November 2024 election.”
