Dem Rep. Manning will not seek reelection if 'egregiously gerrymandered' districts hold

North Carolina Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning on Thursday announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024 should the Old North State's newly drawn congressional maps survive judicial scrutiny.

Manning's 6th District includes the city of Greensboro and some border territory with Virginia. She first won election in 2020. Under the new plan, however, Greensboro would be carved up into three districts, and her own 6th district would become a strongly Republican-leaning one.

"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," she 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."

"Republicans have blatantly rigged the map against Democrats by splitting the City of Greensboro into three pieces and combining each piece with far-flung rural counties, with the majority of Greensboro being drawn into a district that goes all the way to the border with Tennessee," she added.

She did, however, note that the maps were the subject of a lawsuit, which could force their redrawing. She plans to run if the suit is successful.

"I would love nothing more than to continue representing our community in Congress. Unfortunately, the egregiously gerrymandered maps do not make this race competitive, and I cannot in good conscience ask people to invest their time, resources and efforts in a campaign that is rigged against us," she concluded. "However, if the impending lawsuits are successful and the General Assembly is forced to draw fair congressional districts, I will seek to continue my service to our community."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.