by Heidi Reid | Oct 15, 2025 | Buzz, October 2025
NC Republicans plan to redraw congressional maps.
Heeding President Trump’s call to secure more Republican seats across the nation, NC Republican legislative leaders announced plans Monday to introduce and vote on a redrawn congressional map next week, with the intention of shifting a U.S. House district seat from the Democrats to the Republicans.
“President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican congressional seat,” says House Speaker Destin Hall (R) of Caldwell.
The current congressional map—drawn and passed in 2023—gave Republicans a significant majority in 10 out of 14 districts (with a chance at an 11th) and is facing gerrymandering allegations. Beforehand, the NC congressional delegation sat perfectly even, with seven Democrats and seven Republicans.
Only the first congressional district—currently held by Rep. Don Davis (D), who won by less than two points in 2024—is a true swing district. New maps are expected to target this district.
Providing more insight into the party’s motives, Republican state reps. Brenden Jones and Hugh Blackwell stated updated maps are necessary to thwart “California and the radical left” from “handpicking” who runs Congress. Senate Leader Phil Berger concurred, saying NC Republicans are “doing everything we can to protect President Trump’s agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress.”
This reach for control stems nationwide. Initially ignited with Texas redrawing to add five Republican seats earlier this year, The White House also pushed Missouri to shift its map and are working a similar effort in Indiana and Kansas.
NC Dems responded immediately. House Minority Leader Robert Reives of Chatham said Republicans are dodging accountability. “The party’s politicians are more focused on consolidating power than on lowering costs or funding the state’s Medicaid program,” he wrote in a statement.
Gov. Josh Stein wasn’t on board either: “The General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump,” he wrote in a statement—but under the NC Constitution, governors don’t have veto power over congressional maps. (Fun fact: The Governor didn’t have veto power at all until 1996.) Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled federal judges cannot overturn electoral maps on the basis of partisan gerrymandering.
Stay tuned for updates as NC lawmakers introduce the new map.
by Heidi Reid | Mar 21, 2025 | Buzz, March 2025
The NC Legislature is fast-tracking a bill ditching the required permit for concealed guns.
The standard permit necessary to carry a concealed firearm in NC may not be required soon. The Freedom to Carry NC bill—which authorizes U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age to carry a handgun in NC without a permit—is moving through the legislature.
After being whisked from the first committee session to a vote in just over two days, the measure passed Thursday in the NC Senate with a 26–18 vote (with two Democrats and four Republicans absent).
Currently, NC gun owners are required to obtain a permit from their local sheriff’s office to tote a concealed handgun, plus complete at least eight hours of training beforehand. Permits will still be issued for the purpose of crossing state lines with a firearm. If passed, the Tar Heel state will become the 30th state to not require permits or training.
So what problem is this bill trying to solve? Gun rights lobbyists have been pushing for permitless carry—or what some advocates call “constitutional carry”—for years. One of the bill’s primary sponsors, Republican Sen. Danny Britt of Lumberton said people have a constitutional right to carry a concealed handgun “without having to jump through the hoops that you do for a concealed carry permit.”
Democrat Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed raised a red flag during the floor debate, noting that instead of improving the permitting process the bill takes “a chainsaw to the system, leaving officers and the public to deal with the consequences.” Mohammed also pointed out the increased risk for law enforcement officers if the bill becomes law.
Although Senate Democrats successfully added several amendments supporting benefits for slain law enforcement officers’ families, the blue party continued to reiterate their opposition to the bill’s main focus. Alongside these additions, the Senate also adopted three of Britt’s proposed amendments upping the penalty for violation of firearm-related laws.
Other amendments put on the table by the Democrats referred to as “common sense measures” failed. These included proposals for required gun detection systems in schools and hospitals, expanded gun-free zones, required universal background checks, and penalties for failing to keep guns out of children’s reach.
“Allowing anyone 18 or older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit makes everyone less safe,” House Democratic Leader Robert Reives wrote in a statement. “We need common sense reforms and this measure would only hurt communities.” Stay tuned for updates on how the bill fares in the House and under the Governor’s pen.
