Redistricting plan brings changes to NC House districts in Triad

The proposed NC House redistricting maps are released.Guilford County retains six House districts. Currently, four lean Democratic and two lean Republican. Under the proposed plan, three lean Democrat and three lean Republican.

Guilford communities of interest

• Irving Park neighborhood split between districts 57 and 58
• Lindley Park neighborhood and Precinct 48 split between districts 58 and 60
• Pleasant Garden split between districts 59 and 61

District 57

• Redrawn as a majority minority district
• Incumbents: Democrats Pricey Harrison and Maggie Jeffus

District 58

• Sheds rural eastern Guilford and northeastern Greensboro precincts, while picking up precincts in Lindley Park and Starmount neighborhoods of Greensboro
• Incumbent: Democrat Alma Adams
• Proposed: 64.8 percent Democrat, 16.0 percent Republican, 50.0 percent black voting age population (BVAP); previous: 64.8 percent, 22.0 percent Republican, 52.8 percent BVAP

District 59

• Stripped of northeast Greensboro, Irving Park and Sunset Hills precincts and redrawn to include southeast Guilford County
• Proposed: 38.1 percent Democrat, 39.1 percent Republican, 13.1 percent BVAP; previously: 51.1 percent Democrat, 31.3 percent Republican, 23.1 percent BVAP
• Carried by John McCain in 2008, George W. Bush in 2004, Pat McCrory in 2008 and Richard Burr in 2010
• No incumbent

District 60

• Incumbent: Democrat Marcus Brandon
• Proposed: 62.4 percent Democrat, 17.4 percent Republican, 50.1 percent BVAP: previous: 61.2 percent Democrat, 23.7 percent Republican, 50.1 percent BVAP

District 61

Incumbent: Republican John Faircloth

District 62

Incumbent: Republican John Blust

Forsyth County drops from five to four districts.

Forsyth loses District 73, which currently covers the eastern end of the county, including Kernersville. (The new proposed District 73 is shared by Yadkin and Alexander counties). The current district is represented by Republican Larry Brown, who is redrawn into the proposed District 74

District 71

• Incumbent: Democrat Larry Womble

District 72

• Incumbent: Democrat Earline Parmon
• Gardenia Henley, Parmon’s Democratic primary challenger last year, is shed from District 72 into District 74

District 74

• Incumbent: Republicans Dale Folwell and Larry Brown

District 75

• Incumbent: Republican Bill McGee

Harrison and Jeffus forced into competition

Guilford Redistrincting Zoomed Out

Guilford Redistricting Zoomed In

Courtesy of NC Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford)

Background here.

UPDATE:

Harrison:

I don't know enough about the Voting Rights Act to know if the DOJ will reject the maps. It does appear that the proposed districts reflect an effort to pack African-American precincts into strong Dem performing districts, with the potential result being 3 Dem districts and 3 Republican districts.

I don't know if Maggie and I were drawn together to purposely force us into a primary. I think Maggie and I need to talk about the potential of a primary. I am fairly certain neither of us has the appetite to take each other on in a primary but both want to serve Guilford County in the state House. Were I to run, I would continue my practice of meeting the voters in an aggressive door-to-door campaign with the help of campaign literature and possible media ads. The district seems to be just at the 50 percent minority majority level, so I think it is a toss up whether a black or white candidate can win.