….The 1st District, anchored in northeastern North Carolina, has elected Black representatives for more than three decades. It is currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, who won reelection last year by less than two points. Under the new map, Davis’s home county of Greene would be moved into the adjacent 3rd District, represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy. Members of Congress are not required to live in their districts.
Voting rights advocates said the proposal would split up communities that have long shared historical and economic ties, particularly in the state’s Black Belt region. The district includes several majority-Black counties such as Halifax, Hertford and Bertie — areas that have been the backbone of Black political participation in North Carolina since the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act.
“Please don’t buy into it when someone says ‘This isn’t about race, it’s about party,’ because those two things are intertwined,” said Kat Roblez, senior voting rights counsel with Forward Justice.