Congressional Candidates and Redistricting

Editors Note:  Since publication of this newsletter Polk County has been put in a new U.S. Congressional District 13.  Our State's redistricting is being reviewed by the State Supreme Court. Stay tuned for updates.

​Jasmine Beach-Ferrara

Eric Gash

Jay Carey

Bo Hess

Katie Dean

Josh Remillard

Right now there are six Dems running to replace Madison Cawthorn in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Click on each photo or name above for the candidates' websites.) Although we cannot endorse a candidate during the primary, there are several excellent ones to choose from.

The deadline for the state legislature to complete the process of redistricting following last year's consensus is November 5, and because the legislature is under GOP control, we're expecting the usual partisan gerrymandering designed to help them and hurt us.

Once the districts are set, we'll have a better idea of exactly where Polk lies within the new districts.

According to a news story from spectrumlocalnews.com, the main points to know right now are:

• The legislature hopes to pass the maps through both chambers by Nov. 5, a month ahead of the filing deadline for the 2022 primaries.
• Legislators have shown no indication that they would delay the March primary to give more time for public input on the maps, as some advocates had hoped.
• North Carolina's redistricting process has led to lengthy legal battles numerous times, and lawsuits are likely again with this new set of maps.

Stay tuned for the process to heat up soon!