RALEIGH — The court-drawn interim congressional map that will be used in the 2022 election has shifted where some state incumbents will run for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Immediately after appeals to the N.C. Supreme Court were denied, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson announced his intention to run in the new 9th Congressional District, which contains many Sandhills counties and runs up to Chatham and Randolph counties.
“As Fort Bragg’s Congressman, I have a proven track record as a conservative who knows how to get things done for our community,” said Hudson in a statement on Thursday. “You can count on me to stand up to the mandates, threats to our Second Amendment, and big government socialist policies hurting our economy and your family. I look forward to remaining Fort Bragg’s Congressman and again earning the support of the people of the new 9th District.”
Hudson’s campaign also pointed out that he has represented 8 of the 9 counties in the newly-configured district in his 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That decision meant that U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who earlier in the week teased a run for a statewide judicial office, would run the new 8th Congressional District. The new district includes many counties he currently represents including the Republican stronghold of Union County.
The court’s map drew northwest Cabarrus County into the Mecklenburg County district of U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12). Adams also announced she would seek reelection.
Elsewhere, Democrats Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Kathy Manning (NC-06), both elected in 2020, saw their districts remain mostly intact with slight changes. Ross maintains the northern half of Wake County and Manning adds Rockingham and Caswell counties to her Guilford County-centric district.
Republicans Greg Murphy (NC-03), David Rouzer (NC-07), Virginia Foxx (NC-05) saw their districts remain mostly intact as well, and both have announced their intent to run for reelection.
“While I eagerly look forward to running in the 5th Congressional district, it’s past time for the courts to stop meddling in the redistricting process,” said Foxx in her announcement.
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) has not formally announced a reelection campaign but he is expected to do so.
That leaves first-term firebrand U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn as the last current incumbent to make a reelection decision. Cawthorn had announced in a previous iteration of maps he would run in a district closer to Charlotte, taking in border counties west of Charlotte. That district now includes a hefty chunk of Mecklenburg County and favors a Democratic candidate based on previous election results.
Cawthorn is seen as likely to run in the 11th District but many political observers point out he could challenge McHenry if he indeed stays in the area he previously announced he would run.
