North Carolina's 11th congressional district
North Carolina's 11th congressional district encompasses most of Western North Carolina. Starting in the 113th Congress, it was last represented by Mark Meadows, a Republican. He replaced Democrat Heath Shuler, who retired in 2013. Shuler had won the seat in the 2006 midterm elections, defeating 8-term Republican Representative Charles H. Taylor. After a court-supervised 2019 redistricting, Meadows announced in December that he will not run for re-election in 2020,[4] and on March 30 he resigned to become White House Chief of Staff.[5] Since January 3, 2021 the congressional district has been represented by Madison Cawthorn.
| North Carolina's 11th congressional district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 North Carolina's 11th congressional district since January 3, 2021 | |||
| Representative |
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| Distribution |
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| Population (2019) | 772,612[2] | ||
| Median household income | $51,884[2] | ||
| Ethnicity |
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| Cook PVI | R+14[3] | ||
Redistricting
The 11th district has historically been known for its volatile politics and was once considered one of the most competitive congressional districts in North Carolina. It was traditionally anchored by the heavily Democratic city of Asheville, with the rest of the district being split between Democratic-leaning counties in the south and Republican-leaning counties in the north. Consequently, congressional races were historically hard-fought and often very close.
In 2011, the Republican-controlled legislature redrew the district, shifting much of Asheville to the 10th district, where the city's Democratic tilt was diluted by the overwhelming Republican inclination of the rest of the district. The new map split Asheville in such a way that in some neighborhoods, one side of the street moved to the 10th while the other side of the street stayed in the 11th.[6]
To make up for the loss in population, the 11th absorbed some strongly Republican territory in the Foothills which had previously been in the 10th. On paper, it was one of the most Republican districts in the state. Due to the district becoming much more conservative, three-term Democratic incumbent Heath Shuler did not run for reelection in 2012, and was succeeded by Republican Mark Meadows.
In 2019, a panel of North Carolina judges ruled that the existing map was a partisan gerrymander, and ordered new congressional districts to be drawn ahead of the 2020 election.[7] After review in December, a new map was approved. The current district includes the western part of Rutherford County and the entirety of Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey Counties.[8][3]
- The Cook PVI listed will need be updated to reflect the redrawn District 11. The new district still leans Republican, but much less so than before, as it once again includes all of strongly Democratic Asheville.
List of members representing the district
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Recent election results
2012
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Meadows | 190,319 | 57.4 | |
| Democratic | Hayden Rogers | 141,107 | 42.6 | |
| Total votes | 331,426 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
2014
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Meadows (incumbent) | 144,682 | 62.9 | |
| Democratic | Tom Hill | 85,342 | 37.1 | |
| Total votes | 230,024 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Meadows (incumbent) | 230,405 | 64.1 | |
| Democratic | Rick Bryson | 129,103 | 35.9 | |
| Total votes | 359,508 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Meadows (incumbent) | 178,012 | 59.2 | |
| Democratic | Phillip Price | 116,508 | 38.8 | |
| Libertarian | Clifton Ingram | 6,146 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 300,666 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Madison Cawthorn | 245,351 | 54.5 | |
| Democratic | Moe Davis | 190,609 | 42.4 | |
| Libertarian | Tracey DeBruhl | 8,682 | 1.9 | |
| Green | Tamara Zwinak | 5,503 | 1.2 | |
| Total votes | 450,145 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Notes
- Supported the Jackson faction in the 1824 United States presidential election.
- "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based)". census.gov. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013.
- "Congressional District 11 (116th Congress), North Carolina". census.gov.
People for population, Socio-Economic for median income
- "HB 1029, 3rd Edition". ncleg.gov.
- McPherson, Lindsey (December 29, 2019). "North Carolina's Mark Meadows won't run for reelection". Roll Call. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- Burgess, Joel. "North Carolina's Mark Meadows will leave Congress early for White House post". Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- Timm, Jane (September 9, 2017). "They're Still Drawing Crazy-Looking Districts. Can't It Be Stopped?". NBC News.
- Paul LeBlanc. "North Carolina judges throw out congressional map ahead of 2020 elections". CNN.
- "NC House Bill H1029 - Ratified" (PDF). NC Legislature. November 15, 2019.
- "Data Courtesy of Jeffrey B. Lewis, Brandon DeVine, and Lincoln Pritcher with Kenneth C. Martis". United States Congressional District Shapefiles.
- "District 11, North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement". North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 9780029201701.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201503.
- "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress 1774-Present". bioguideretro.congress.gov.