North Carolina State Senator Phil Berger (R) announced on Monday that he agreed to return to Raleigh “to back up President Trump by redrawing our Congressional map in North Carolina to block blue state Democrats like @CAgovernor who want to take control of Congress from Republicans.”
Note: Since Trump’s return to the White House, Republican lawmakers, including notably Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have been active in efforts to gerrymander/redraw congressional maps in order to give more seats to Republicans and to protect the agenda of President Trump.
Berger said in a statement, “We are doing everything we can to protect President Trump’s agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress. Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional map to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn’t decide the congressional majority.”
Oh look, another lap dog Republican desperate to suck up to Trump.
The GOP is rigging elections and trying to cover it up with lies.
Americans are not that stupid, Phil.
This started in Texas — and if North Carolina gives in, CALIFORNIA PATRIOTS WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR… https://t.co/dVbQ8fjnBJ
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 13, 2025
California Governor Gavin Newsom replied to Berger: “Oh look, another lap dog Republican desperate to suck up to Trump. The GOP is rigging elections and trying to cover it up with lies. Americans are not that stupid, Phil. This started in Texas — and if North Carolina gives in, CALIFORNIA PATRIOTS WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR AMERICA.”
Voters in North Carolina who object to Berger’s plan to redraw the congressional map are leaving messages including: “This election-rigging effort was started by Trump and Texas, not Newsom – but if you’re looking for an organization that literally hates democracy, the NCGOP is a great place to start. Whining about redistricting abuse is a bit rich coming from you.”
The “rich” remark above likely references the fact that the redistricting battles now afoot across the country had their start in North Carolina, where a gerrymander case against the GOP went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2019.
There, as WUNC recounts, “in his prevailing 5-4 majority opinion in Rucho, Chief Justice John Roberts said even if partisan gerrymandering is inconsistent with democratic principles, it doesn’t mean the federal judiciary can do anything about it,” leaving it to the states and their courts to resolve.