NC Family Staff | October 26, 2023 | SHARE: 
After three weeks of turmoil following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top leadership post in the U.S. House of Representatives, a new leader has finally emerged. On Wednesday, House Republicans elected Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana to become the new Speaker of the U.S. House. Johnson is serving in his fourth term in Congress and is a solid pro-life, pro-family conservative. He is a father of four, an attorney, and previously worked as senior legal counsel for the Christian legal advocacy organization Alliance Defending Freedom.
NC Family President John L. Rustin responded to the news, “We couldn’t be more excited and thankful that the Lord has raised up Mike Johnson to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House at such a pivotal time in the history of our nation and the world. Mike is a personal friend, a brother in Christ, and a trusted ally who will lead with faith, integrity, and wisdom. Please join NC Family as we pray for Speaker Johnson, for the U.S. Congress, for our nation, and for the world during this time of transition and international turmoil.”
Watch Rep. Mike Johnson’s first speech as Speaker of the U.S. House.
NC Family also wants to acknowledge and thank N.C. Congressman Patrick McHenry, who served as temporary Speaker of the House and shepherded the chamber through a very difficult time of upheaval and change.
Also on Wednesday, the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly gave final approval to new congressional and state legislative district maps. The maps, which passed both chambers by party-line votes, redraw North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House districts; 50 State Senate districts, and 120 State House districts.
The new U.S. House map, SB 757—Realign Congressional Districts 2023/CST-4, reportedly favors the election of Republicans in 10 of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts and Democrats in three. The remaining district is deemed competitive. North Carolina’s congressional delegation is currently made up of seven Republicans and seven Democrats.
The new N.C. Senate map, Realign NC Senate Districts 2023/SB758,2 Ed, strongly favors returning a GOP majority to the State Senate but does not guarantee the election of a Republican supermajority, which would require 30 of the 50 Senate seats. Republicans currently hold 30 seats in the N.C. Senate.
The new N.C. House map, House Redistricting Plan 2023/H898 Ed 2, strongly favors returning a GOP majority to the State House but does not guarantee the election of a Republican supermajority, which would require 72 of the 120 seats. Republicans currently hold 72 seats in the N.C. House.
While Governor Roy Cooper does not hold the authority to veto congressional and state legislative district maps passed by the General Assembly, it is highly likely that Democrats will challenge the new maps in state and/or federal court, so these may or may not be the maps that are ultimately used for the 2024 state and federal elections in North Carolina.
You can visit the General Assembly’s Redistricting Page for more details and to see the new maps.
And finally, after a very active, intense, and substantive nine-month-long session, lawmakers drew the 2023 Regular Legislative Session to a close on Wednesday after passing new district maps. Check out NC Family’s Weekly Update Video on The Highs and Lows of the 2023 Legislative Session for a high-level recap of some of the key legislation that was and was not passed this year.
According to SJR 760—Adjournment Resolution, state lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, to consider a limited scope of issues, including: bills vetoed by the Governor; appointments and confirmations; bills addressing legal challenges to recently-passed legislation; redistricting; and several other specific matters. The Adjournment Resolution also calls the General Assembly back to Raleigh on December 20, 2023; January 17, 2024; February 14, 2024; March 13, 2024; April 10, 2024; and then on April 24, 2024 presumably to begin the 2024 “Short” Legislative Session.
