RALEIGH, N.C. — After days of emotional and often heated debate, North Carolina lawmakers approved a new congressional map Wednesday that is expected to strengthen Republican control in Washington and reshape eastern parts of the state ahead of the 2026 elections.

The vote followed hours of tense speeches on the House floor Wednesday, where both Democrats and Republicans framed the redistricting process as a defining moment for North Carolina’s political future.

Democrats argued the new lines will dilute Black voting power and divide long-standing communities. Democratic Representative Amos Quick III pointed to the legacy of George Henry White, North Carolina’s a former African American congressman, who left office in 1901 after his district was dismantled during an earlier era of redist

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