Second-term Democratic North Carolina Congresswoman Kathy Manning, representing the state’s Sixth Congressional District which was significantly redrawn in a district map that continues to be under legal challenges, announced she won’t run for reelection with the district drawn as partisanly as it is in the one that must be used in the 2024 election cycle.
“The Republican-led General Assembly passed flagrantly gerrymandered Congressional districts to reduce the North Carolina Congressional delegation from seven Democrats and seven Republicans to four Democrats and ten Republicans,” Manning said in a statement. “Rather than draw Congressional districts that are compact, include communities of interest, and promote the democratic value of allowing voters to decide who they want to represent them – the previously stated goals of the redistricting committee – Republican leaders have put their partisan self-interest above the people they’re elected to serve. It’s the shameful act of leaders who know they can’t win under fair districts.”
While Manning noted that she and others continue to file legal challenges to the highly-gerrymandered map, the timing makes it more difficult for Democratic challenges to have effect before elections. She also left the door open to running again if the courts somehow strike down the current map.