Republicans’ effort to redraw a North Carolina Democrat out of Congress could backfire as voters angered by the new boundaries and President Donald Trump’s policies rally behind him, The Atlantic reported Friday.
Rep. Don Davis faces Republican Laurie Buckhout in a district redrawn to favor the GOP. Even Davis’ own home was drawn out of the district — leaving his wife, children and hometown neighbors unable to vote for him.
But recent polls still show a close contest, The Atlantic's Madeleine Carlisle reported, with some former Trump voters backing the Democratic incumbent.
“I just don’t like the way he’s ruining our country,” Ben Lindemann, who voted for Trump in 2024 and will likely support Davis, told the magazine.
The Republican-controlled Legislature removed four counties with large Black populations and added six Republican-leaning counties. Trump would have carried the new district by nearly 12 points in 2024, compared with three points under its previous boundaries.
For some voters, the map itself became a reason to get involved.
“I knew it was a ploy to try to pull votes away from him,” said Cynthia Pitchford, who told The Atlantic that she volunteered for Davis because of her anger over redistricting.
Davis, an Air Force veteran who narrowly defeated Buckhout in 2024, is emphasizing his bipartisan voting record and agricultural advocacy.
Richard Anderson, a tobacco farmer who voted for Trump in 2024, said the president’s trade war hurt his livelihood. He now plans to vote for Davis.
“I think that his district is proof that people will cross the aisle,” Anderson said.