It's official: Asheville, Buncombe won't be split by gerrymandered congressional districts

Joel Burgess | The Citizen-Times

A judicial ruling will alter Western North Carolina's political map, eliminating the line that split the liberal city of Asheville into two congressional districts.

The change follows a Dec. 2 unanimous decision by a three-judge state panel not to review a quickly drawn remedial map of North Carolina's 13 congressional districts. That map was drawn by the Republican-majority General Assembly, which has the power to redistrict every 10 years after the census.

The panel on Oct. 28 blocked the old map saying it likely amounted to an illegal partisan gerrymander. That map had resulted in the election of 10 Republicans and three Democrats even though statewide the number of votes were close to evenly split between the parties. The division of Asheville and Buncombe weakened progressive votes and made the 11th District an easy win for far-right conservative Mark Meadows, as well as the 10th for Republican Patrick McHenry of Gaston County.

Republican advantage reduced

Political observers said the new lines would likely reduce the Republican statewide advantage by two seats, though the 11th was not one of them. Democrats said the map still amounted to an illegally-engineered partisan advantage. But the judges said it was too close to the March 3 primaries to consider detailed redistricting arguments.

The new 11th District will cover 17 counties:

Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, McDowell, Polk, Henderson, Transylvania, Jackson, Haywood, Swain, Macon, Clay, Graham, Cherokee and half of Rutherford.

Democrats can file immediately to run in an 11th District primary, the panel said, with a winner expected to challenge Meadows. The four-term U.S. House member from Transylvania County has gained national recognition for his strong support of President Donald Trump and leadership in the Freedom Caucus, a small but influential group of conservative members of Congress.

Declared Democrats are retired Air Force colonel Morris "Moe" Davis of Buncombe County, Mills River music producer Michael O'Shea, Candler solar designer Jamie Trowbridge and retired Air Force major and former U.S. Securities and Exchange official Steve Woodsmall of Transylvania County.

Turner not a candidate

N.C. Rep. Brian Turner, D-Biltmore Forest, had left the door open for a possible run, but on Dec. 2 announced he would instead seek reelection to the 116th state House District, which was part of another redrawing based on gerrymandering concerns.

"I’m just really excited about the prospect of being in the majority in the House," Turner said. "And I'm really excited about representing Buncombe County."

Reacting to the panel's decision, House GOP co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting said the map drawing process was historic for its openness.

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“The new congressional map was drawn in full transparent view without partisan goals or data following extensive public input," Reps. David Lewis of Harnett County and Destin Hall of Caldwell County said in a released statement.

But Democratic Chair Wayne Goodwin said legislative leaders had used the timing of the primaries to avoid creating fairer maps.

"Republicans yet again (ran) out the clock on fair maps, denying justice to North Carolina voters and forcing our state to go another election using undemocratic district lines," Goodwin said in a statement.