Whiplash in the state’s higher courts over the past few months has complicated the 2022 elections in North Carolina. After a halted, then restarted, then halted once again three-day filing period in December, filing resumed Thursday morning.

The delays and stop-starts – which affected filings for local offices as well – were caused by lawsuits filed last year by advocacy groups against Republican leaders in the General Assembly. The groups argued that new congressional and state legislative maps passed by the Republican-controlled legislature were gerrymandered, giving the party an unconstitutional advantage over Democrats.

The new court-approved maps result in mostly minor changes for Wilmington-area districts. “Fortunately, New Hanover County’s precincts didn't change or districts didn't change, perhaps as much as other counties,” New Hanover County elections director Rae Hunter-Havens said Friday. 

Candidates have until noon March 4 to file. The primary is poised to take place May 17, barring there are no further legal delays. 

A handful of candidates for local, legislative and congressional office filed Thursday and Friday in New Hanover County as of Friday morning. As of midday Friday, just two local candidates had filed in Brunswick County, according to an elections official. 

Earlier this month, the N.C. Supreme Court agreed with the plaintiffs (along party lines) and ordered the legislature to pass new maps within two weeks. Last week, the legislature passed new maps; the updated congressional and state senate maps passed down party lines while the state house map was approved with strong bipartisan support. 

On Wednesday a trial court upheld the legislative maps but found the congressional map was still not up to par, so it tasked an outside panel to draw a new version. The N.C. Supreme Court struck down appeals filed within hours of the order on either side of the legal debate late Wednesday. Filing officially re-opened Thursday morning. 

Looking ahead, it’s possible the groups could appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Republican N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the ruling “egregious” and condemned the court’s decision to allow any entity other than the legislature to draw maps.  

Local shifts

Republican Rep. Frank Iler, whose district spans most of Brunswick County north of Hwy. 17, said “the whole thing was unconstitutional,” of the court’s decision to adopt its own congressional map. He said he did not know whether Republican leaders planned to challenge the decision. 

As for his legislative constituency in House District 17, he gave up two precincts in Boiling Spring Lakes and Bolivia to District 19 to account for population changes. “You don’t want to give up a community you’ve been working with, but I’ll still represent the county,” he said. 

District 19, which was redrawn in 2020 to include swaths of coastal Brunswick County, is served by Republican Rep. Charlie Miller. Miller filed to run for a second term back in December. He said he was proud of the bipartisan effort that went into the legislative House vote. 

“It’s been the greatest honor of my life to serve the constituents of District 19,” he wrote in an email Friday. “This is a role that I have taken incredibly serious and I look forward to building on relationships with Boiling Spring Lakes and Bolivia, while continuing to strengthen existing relationships across Brunswick and New Hanover counties -- as we all work together to make North Carolina the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”

New Hanover change 

N.C. Senate maps result in a local shakeup (perhaps in name only for New Hanover County): Sen. Michael Lee's current Senate District 9, which encompasses most of New Hanover County, will transition to a central area.

The new map shows Senate District 9 as including Pender, Duplin, Sampson, Bladen and Jones counties. This district would have no incumbent; it's not yet clear who has filed to run in this seat.

New Hanover County will instead transition to Senate District 7; unlike the current District 9, District 7 will lose a small portion of downtown Wilmington under the new map to District 8, which is served by Republican Sen. Bill Rabon.

In December, Lee filed for Senate District 7, which for the most part, mirrors his current layout in District 9. No one else has filed for the new District 7 seat to date. District 7 is currently served by Sen. Jim Perry, covering Wayne and Lenoir counties (under the new maps, Perry would be ineligible to file given the geographic shifts of his current district).

Lee said he couldn’t speak to the particulars of how the maps were drawn, but added “the remedial maps we submitted to the court were competitive and met the court-mandated tests.

“The trial court and Special Masters recognized that and upheld our legislative maps. I’m glad the election process can now move ahead,” he wrote in a Friday email.

Rabon's district, Senate District 8, which currently encompasses Brunswick, Bladen and Pender counties, will pick up the small downtown Wilmington section, lose Pender and Bladen counties, and gain Columbus county. 

House District 18, served by Democratic Rep. Deb Butler, lost a section in and around downtown Wilmington with the new map. Butler's district also lost all of northern Brunswick County in 2020 during a previous redrawing. 

“Manipulating the voting districts to perpetuate control by any political party is wrong. When one party dilutes or deprives citizens of the power of their vote, it means that the true will of the people is not reflected in the outcome,” she said Friday. 

The court's decisions “leveled the playing field,” she said. “I further believe that an independent nonpartisan commission should draw the districts moving forward to put a stop to undue influence in our elections,” she said. “This outcome in the courts is a victory for every North Carolina voter.”

Butler filed for re-election in December. A challenger, John Hinnant, filed for Butler’s seat midday Friday. Hinnant is a former Wilmington Downtown Inc. CEO and is running as a Republican.

House District 20, served by Republican Rep. Ted Davis, lost a coastal area close to the New Hanover-Pender county border and gained a portion of midtown Wilmington.

Congressional update, local offices

Republican U.S. Congressman David Rouzer filed for re-election in House District 7 midday Friday. Should the congressional map stand, he will lose parts of Cumberland and Harnett and all of Sampson and Johnston counties; gain Robeson county; and see no change in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus and Bladen counties.

"When I first ran for Congress, I promised to work on the issues important to the citizens of Southeastern North Carolina while advocating for a stronger military, stronger borders, and a federal government that protects our God-given rights as prescribed by the Constitution," Rouzer said in a statement. "Should I have the honor to serve this district again, I look forward to continuing this important work."

A Republican challenger, Max Southworth-Beckwith of Currie, also filed Friday. Democratic challengers Steven Miller and Jason Minnicozzi have publicly campaigned for the seat but have not yet filed.

As for local boards, incumbent Democratic New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple filed for re-election in December, along with newcomers Travis Robinson (D), Tom Toby (R) and LeAnn Pierce (R), who is currently the mayor of Carolina Beach. 
 
Thursday and Friday, county commissioners chair Julia Olson-Boseman (D) filed for re-election, and Republicans Harry Knight and Joe Irrera are vying for a spot on the board.

View the new and approved state Senate and House maps. 

Correction: This article has been corrected to clarify the updated changes between the current Senate District 9 and the newly approved Senate District 7.