North Carolina Republicans Begin Aggressive Racial Gerrymandering

Following their historic gains in the 2010 elections, North Carolina Republicans gain control of the General Assembly for the first time in over a century and immediately implement the “Rucho-Lewis plan”—an aggressive redistricting scheme that packs African American voters into concentrated districts to dilute their electoral influence across the state. The redistricting represents one of the most extreme examples of racial gerrymandering in the post-REDMAP era.

The Rucho-Lewis Plan

Republican lawmakers Robert Rucho and David Lewis lead the redistricting effort, drawing both congressional and state legislative maps designed to entrench Republican control. The plan concentrates Black voters into 28 districts—19 in the state House and 9 in the Senate—unnecessarily increasing the percentage of African American voters in districts where Black voters had already been successfully electing their candidates of choice.

Governor Bev Perdue (D) lacks veto power over redistricting plans under North Carolina law, giving Republicans complete control over the process with no Democratic input. The redistricting occurs behind closed doors with minimal public participation, and the maps are rushed through the legislature with little debate or transparency.

Racial Packing Strategy

The Rucho-Lewis plan employs a “packing” strategy to dilute Black voting power. By concentrating African American voters into supermajority districts (often 60-70% Black), Republicans reduce their influence in surrounding districts. This creates a smaller number of safe Democratic districts while making adjacent districts more Republican-friendly.

The strategy relies on race as the predominant factor in drawing district lines, even in areas where African American voters were already electing their preferred candidates without such high concentrations. Courts will later find that Republican lawmakers used race inappropriately and unconstitutionally, exceeding what the Voting Rights Act requires or permits.

Broader Context

The North Carolina redistricting is part of the nationwide REDMAP strategy, with the state serving as a key target for Republican gerrymandering. North Carolina’s swing-state status and diverse population make it ideal for aggressive redistricting—by manipulating district lines, Republicans can lock in congressional and legislative majorities even in a politically competitive state.

The 2011 redistricting combines racial gerrymandering with partisan gerrymandering, using racial demographics as a tool to achieve partisan advantage. By packing Democratic-leaning Black voters into concentrated districts, Republicans create a dual benefit: appearing to comply with the Voting Rights Act while simultaneously minimizing Democratic representation statewide.

Significance

The North Carolina racial gerrymandering represents a sophisticated manipulation of civil rights law for partisan gain. Republicans use the Voting Rights Act—designed to protect minority voting rights—as justification for concentrating Black voters in ways that actually diminish their collective political power. This cynical approach transforms anti-discrimination law into a tool for discrimination.

The Rucho-Lewis plan becomes a template for post-2010 Republican gerrymandering nationwide, demonstrating how racial demographics can be weaponized for partisan advantage. The maps will eventually be struck down by federal courts as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, but not before shaping North Carolina politics for years. The case becomes a landmark example of how modern gerrymandering operates at the intersection of race and partisanship, using sophisticated data analysis and legal arguments to entrench minority rule.

The redistricting also demonstrates the consequences of the REDMAP strategy—by flipping state legislative control in 2010, Republicans gain unchecked power to manipulate electoral maps, fundamentally undermining democratic representation in one of America’s most politically diverse states.