Democrat North Carolina Rep. Kathy Manning announced on Thursday that she will not seek reelection in 2024.
According to a press release from Manning’s office, she will not seek reelection due to her state’s “egregiously gerrymandered congressional districts,” which she blames on the Republican-led General Assembly in North Carolina. This, she claimed, “[prevents] the re-election of three North Carolina Democrats, including Manning.”
Today I am announcing that I won't file for re-election in the egregiously gerrymandered Congressional districts, drawn by the Republican-led NCGA.
— Congresswoman Kathy Manning (@RepKManning) December 7, 2023
Read my full statement here: https://t.co/7Danhf0cpF
“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,” she added.
Conservative organizations pointed out that she will likely be replaced by a Republican in 2024.
“House Democrats are dropping like flies and choosing not to run for reelection with Joe Biden and their shared extreme record on the ballot,” the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Delanie Bomar said. “After today’s announcement by Kathy Manning, House Republicans just grew our 2024 majority by one seat.”
“Another House Democrat is racing toward the exit – and for good reason. This seat is another important addition to growing our majority next fall,” Congressional Leadership Fund Communications Director Courtney Parella said.
In April, Townhall reported how a state lawmaker in North Carolina switched from the Democratic Party to Republican Party, giving the House a GOP supermajority.
State Rep. Tricia Cotham represents a Democrat-leaning district near Charlotte. When she decided to join the GOP, she said in a press conference that her party became “unrecognizable.”
“The modern day Democratic has become unrecognizable to me and to so many others throughout this state and this country. The party wants to villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgment, has solutions, who wants to get to work to better our state, not just sit in a meeting and have a workshop after a workshop, but really work with individuals to get things done because that’s what real public servants do,” Cotham said. “If you don’t do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside.”