A new Congressional map approved by the North Carolina General Assembly on Thursday places Lee County in the state’s 6th Congressional District, one which proponents and observers have described as competitive.
The 6th District includes all of Lee, Harnett, Chatham, and Randolph counties, as well as parts of Guilford, Alamance and Rockingham counties.
The News & Observer described the district as follows:
▪ District 6: Combining about 80% of Greensboro with some more rural areas and fast-growing suburban communities — in both the Triad and Triangle — this district would lean slightly right. It includes all or parts of Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, Randolph, Lee, Chatham and Harnett counties.
Although the state House and Senate both approved the maps Thursday, the N&O further reported that they are not final since “the court system will still have a say in the matter next week.”
A previous map which was eventually ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court had Lee in the 7th district, along with parts of Wake, Harnett, Guilford, and Davidson counties and all of Chatham and Alamance counties.
For the 2020 election, Lee was split between the 8th and 13th districts, represented by Richard Hudson and Ted Budd, respectively.
The new district’s incumbent is Democrat Kathy Manning of Greensboro. WRAL reports she hasn’t made a decision on whether to run, citing the court’s pending review of the map. According to the same report, Republicans Bo Hines and former Rep. Renee Ellmers, who represented Lee, Harnett and Chatham counties for several terms in the 2010s, have both said they plan to seek the seat.
Meanwhile, Lee County’s legislative districts under the proposal passed Thursday remain largely unchanged from the maps which were struck down. In the House, Lee is paired with parts of Moore County to form the 51st District. In the Senate, the 12th District is made up of all of Lee and Harnett Counties, and a handful of precincts in Sampson County.