North Carolina's 12th congressional district | |
---|---|
Representative | |
Population (2023) | 772,165 [1] |
Median household income | $78,809 [1] |
Ethnicity |
|
Cook PVI | D+13 [2] |
North Carolina's 12th congressional district is a congressional district located in the northern and eastern portions of Charlotte as well as surrounding areas in Mecklenburg County and Cabarrus County represented by Democrat Alma Adams. Prior to the 2016 elections, it was a gerrymandered district located in central North Carolina that comprised portions of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury, Concord, and High Point. [3]
It was one of two minority-majority Congressional districts created in the state in the 1990s. Between 2003 and 2013, there was a small plurality of white Americans in the district according to the 2000 United States census, although African Americans made up a comparable proportion of the voting population. As redrawn for the 2012 elections and under the lines used prior to the 2016 elections, the district had an African-American majority according to the 2010 United States census. The 12th district is the most Democratic district in North Carolina, and it has never been represented by a Republican.
North Carolina had a twelfth seat in the House in the early nineteenth century (1803–1843) and in the mid-twentieth century (1943–1963). Most of the territory in the district's second incarnation is now in the 11th district.
The district was re-established after the 1990 United States census, when North Carolina gained a House seat due to an increase in population. It was drawn in 1992 as one of two minority-majority districts, designed to give African-American voters (who comprised 22% of the state's population at the time) the chance to elect a representative of their choice; Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibited the dilution of voting power of minorities by distributing them among districts so that they could never elect candidates of their choice. [4]
In its original configuration, the district had a 64 percent African-American majority in population. The district boundaries, stretching from Gastonia to Durham, were so narrow at some points that it was no wider than a highway lane. It followed Interstate 85 almost exactly. [5] [6] One state legislator famously remarked, after seeing the district map, "if you drove down the interstate with both car doors open, you'd kill most of the people in the district." [7] [8]
The United States Supreme Court ruled in Shaw v. Reno (1993) that a racial gerrymander may, in some circumstances, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.
The state legislature defended the two minority-majority districts as based on demographics, with the 12th representing people of the interior Piedmont area and the 1st the Coastal Plain. [4] Subsequently, the 12th district was redrawn several times and was adjudicated in the Supreme Court on two additional occasions. [4] The version created after the 2000 census was approved by the U.S. Supreme Court in Hunt v. Cromartie . The district's configuration dating from the 2000 census had a small plurality of whites, and it was changed only slightly after the 2010 census. African Americans make up a large majority of registered voters and Hispanics constitute 7.1% of residents.
On February 5, 2016, U.S. Circuit Judge Roger L. Gregory ruled that the district, along with North Carolina's 1st congressional district, [9] must be redrawn from its post-2010 configuration, [10] and that race could not be a mitigating factor in drawing the district. [11] This decision, in the case of Cooper v. Harris , was subsequently upheld 5−3 by the U.S. Supreme Court in an opinion by Justice Elena Kagan on May 22, 2017. [12] In the opinion, Justice Kagan noted that this marked the fifth time the 12th district had appeared before the Supreme Court, following Shaw v. Reno and Hunt v. Cromartie which had both been heard twice before the Court. [13]
In all of its configurations, it has been a Democratic stronghold. Its previous incarnation was dominated by black voters in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem. The redrawn map made the 12th a compact district comprising nearly all of Mecklenburg County, except the southeast quadrant. Due to Charlotte's heavy swing to the Democrats in recent years, the reconfigured 12th is no less Democratic than its predecessor.
On February 23, 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court approved a new map which changed the 12th district boundaries to include the northern half of Mecklenburg County, including most of Uptown, along with eastern Cabarrus County. [14]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mel Watt (incumbent) | 98,821 | 65.34 | |
Republican | Jeff Kish | 49,588 | 32.79 | |
Libertarian | Carey Head | 2,830 | 1.87 | |
Turnout | 151,239 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mel Watt (incumbent) | 154,908 | 66.83 | |
Republican | Ada Fisher | 76,898 | 33.17 | |
Turnout | 231,806 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mel Watt (incumbent) | 71,345 | 67.01 | |
Republican | Ada Fisher | 35,127 | 32.99 | |
Turnout | 106,472 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mel Watt (incumbent) | 215,908 | 71.56 | |
Republican | Ty Cobb, Jr. | 85,814 | 28.44 | |
Turnout | 301,722 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mel Watt (incumbent) | 103,495 | 63.88 | |
Republican | Greg Dority | 55,315 | 34.14 | |
Libertarian | Lon Cecil | 3,197 | 1.97 | |
Total votes | 162,007 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Melvin Watt (incumbent) | 247,591 | 79.6 | |
Republican | Jack Brosch | 63,317 | 20.4 | |
Total votes | 310,908 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams | 127,668 | 75.43% | |
Republican | Vince Coakley | 41,578 | 24.57% | |
Total votes | 169,246 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams | 130,096 | 75.4 | |
Republican | Vince Coakley | 42,568 | 24.6 | |
Total votes | 172,664 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams (incumbent) | 234,115 | 67.0 | |
Republican | Leon Threatt | 115,185 | 33.0 | |
Total votes | 349,300 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams (incumbent) | 203,974 | 73.1 | |
Republican | Paul Wright | 75,164 | 26.9 | |
Total votes | 279,138 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams (incumbent) | 341,457 | 100.0 | |
Total votes | 341,457 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alma Adams (incumbent) | 140,494 | 62.75 | |
Republican | Tyler Lee | 83,414 | 37.25 | |
Total votes | 223,908 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
North Carolina is currently divided into 14 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. After the 2000 census, the number of North Carolina's seats was increased from 12 to 13 due to the state's increase in population. In the 2022 elections, per the 2020 United States census, North Carolina gained one new congressional seat for a total of 14.
North Carolina's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in central and western North Carolina. It currently includes all of Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Polk, and Rutherford counties, and part of Catawba, Iredell. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+22, it is the most Republican district in North Carolina.
Georgia's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is currently represented by Republican Buddy Carter, though the district's boundaries were redrawn following the 2010 United States census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries were the 2012 congressional elections.
Georgia's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is represented by Republican Rick Allen. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries were the 2012 congressional elections.
Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. After the 1990 census, North Carolina qualified to have a 12th district and drew it in a distinct snake-like manner to create a "majority-minority" Black district. From there, Ruth O. Shaw sued to challenge this proposed plan with the argument that this 12th district was unconstitutional and violated the Fourteenth Amendment under the clause of equal protection. In contrast, Reno, the Attorney General, argued that the district would allow for minority groups to have a voice in elections. In the decision, the court ruled in a 5–4 majority that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause and on the basis that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment because it was drawn solely based on race.
South Carolina's 1st congressional district is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 election. Cunningham was the first Democrat to represent the district since the 1980s.
North Carolina's 2nd congressional district is located in the central part of the state. The district contains most of Wake County. Prior to court-mandated redistricting in 2019, it also included northern Johnston County, southern Nash County, far western Wilson County, and all of Franklin and Harnett counties. The 2nd district has been represented by Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross since 2021.
North Carolina's 11th congressional district encompasses most of Western North Carolina. Since January 3, 2023, the district has been represented by Chuck Edwards.
North Carolina's 4th congressional district is located in the central region of the state. The district includes all of Alamance County, Durham County, Granville County, Orange County, and Person County, as well as a portion of Caswell County. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+16, it is the most Democratic district in North Carolina.
North Carolina's 8th congressional district is a congressional district that comprises a large portion of the southern Piedmont area of North Carolina from Concord to Spring Lake, including China Grove, Albemarle, Troy, and Raeford. The district includes all of Cabarrus County, Montgomery County, Hoke County, and Stanly County, as well as portions of Rowan County and Cumberland County.
North Carolina's 5th congressional district covers the central western portion of North Carolina from the Appalachian Mountains to the western suburbs of the Piedmont Triad. The district borders Tennessee and Virginia, with the bulk of its territory in the mountains; it stretches just far enough to the east to grab its share of Forsyth County, home to most of its population.
North Carolina's 1st congressional district is located in the northeastern part of the state. It consists of many Black Belt counties that border Virginia and it extends southward into several counties of the Inner Banks and the Research Triangle. It covers many rural areas of northeastern North Carolina, among the state's most economically poor, as well as outer exurbs of urbanized Research Triangle. It contains towns and cities such as Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Goldsboro, Henderson, and Roanoke Rapids.
North Carolina's 6th congressional district is located in north central portion of the state. As a result of court-mandated redistricting in 2019, it was shifted into the central Triad region and contains all of Guilford County, all of Rockingham County, most of Caswell County, and a portion of Forsyth County. The cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point are located in the district.
North Carolina's 7th congressional district stretches from Wilmington and the South Carolina border to parts of Fayetteville.
North Carolina's 13th congressional district was re-established in 2002 after the state gained population in the 2000 United States census. Previously, the state had 13 districts from the first election following the 1810 census until the reapportionment following the 1840 census.
David Cheston Rouzer is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. Previously he was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing Johnston County and Wayne County in the 12th district of the North Carolina Senate.
Rucho v. Common Cause, No. 18-422, 588 U.S. 684 (2019) is a landmark case of the United States Supreme Court concerning partisan gerrymandering. The Court ruled that while partisan gerrymandering may be "incompatible with democratic principles", the federal courts cannot review such allegations, as they present nonjusticiable political questions outside the jurisdiction of these courts.
Redistricting in North Carolina has been a controversial topic due to allegations and admissions of gerrymandering.
Kathy Ellen Manning is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina, presently representing the state's 6th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, her district is in the heart of the Piedmont Triad and includes Greensboro and most of Winston-Salem. She was the nominee for North Carolina's 13th congressional district in the 2018 election, and ran for and won the neighboring 6th in the 2020 election after court-ordered redistricting.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections will be held on November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States elections, to elect representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as 6 non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and the inhabited U.S. territories to the United States House of Representatives. Special elections have also been held on various dates in 2024. Numerous other federal, state, and local elections, including the U.S. presidential election and elections to the Senate, will also be held on this date. The winners of this election will serve in the 119th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2020 United States census.