Dems prepare for 2024 'bloodbath' in N.C. as they battle badly gerrymandered map: report

In contrast to its deep red neighbor South Carolina, North Carolina is a swing state. North Carolina has two Republican U.S. senators (Thom Tillis and Tedd Budd), but it also has a two-term Democratic governor: centrist Roy Cooper. And President Joe Biden narrowly lost North Carolina to Donald Trump in 2020.

But in an article Tuesday, The Hill's Mike Lillis reported that North Carolina Democrats are entering 2024 with a badly gerrymandered congressional map that clearly gives Republicans an advantage in parts of the state — and will make it more difficult for Democrats to retake the U.S. House of Representatives in November.

"House Democrats fighting to flip control of the chamber next year will first have to overcome an expected bloodbath in North Carolina, where Republicans have secured a new map all but guaranteeing a red wave in November," Lillis explained.

"GOP lawmakers in the state legislature approved a redistricting plan in October that sets the stage for Republicans to pick up at least three seats, and maybe four, in the 14-member delegation — a tally that, by itself, would double the GOP's slender House majority on Capitol Hill."

Lillis described North Carolina as a "true battleground," noting that the state's registered voters are 43 percent Democrat and 41 percent Republican.

The reporter stressed, however, that North Carolina's Republican-drawn congressional map has "squeezed more Democratic voters into some blue districts, while carving up several others so that Democratic voters are vastly outnumbered by Republicans."

According to Lillis, "The impact has been swift and striking: In recent weeks, three Democratic lawmakers — Reps. Kathy Manning, Jeff Jackson and Wiley Nickel — have all announced their retirements at the end of the current term, while a fourth Democrat, Rep. Don Davis, is facing even tougher headwinds in his toss-up run for reelection."

Manning told The Hill, "There is no question that the way they have drawn these maps, they've made it impossible for three of us Democrats to win our seats again…. I have looked at the map every which way to see if there is any way possible to win, and you cannot overcome a 16-point advantage."

READ MORE: Why North Carolina Republicans are 'probably the nation’s most dedicated gerrymanderers': columnist