RALEIGH, NC (WECT) - The first pass at a proposed congressional map for North Carolina shows incumbent Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC) losing much of his home county of Robeson to the 9th district.
The newly-proposed 7th district would include Onslow County and some of Carteret County, while losing much of Robeson, Cumberland, Duplin and Sampson counties.
Check out the proposed congressional map here
In the proposal, Bladen, Columbus, New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender remain fully in the 7th Congressional District.
Here is the current congressional district map
The newly-proposed 7th district is made up of 42% Democrats, 32% Republicans and 26% unaffiliated voters.
McIntyre's campaign released the following statement Friday afternoon:
"It is extremely disappointing that the proposed congressional redistricting map is so blatantly and brazenly done for purely political motives even to the point that it splits Congressman McIntyre's home county, hometown, and home precinct.
"The citizens of Southeastern North Carolina have time and time again elected Congressman McIntyre to work for them. It is obvious that there are those that want to change that with the stroke of a pen.
"This map seeks to minimize and marganilize counties and communities of mutual interest - not only in Southeastern North Carolina, but also across the state.
'Congressman McIntyre will continue to focus on jobs, economic development, and other pressing issues. The General Assembly ought to produce a final map that will more accurately reflect communities and counties of mutually shared interest. Congressman McIntyre's plans to run for re-election have not changed."
Friday afternoon, the campaign of 7th Congressional District Candidate Ilario Pantano, who ran unsuccessfully to unseat McIntyre in 2010 and intends to run again, released the following statement:
For most the lines that define a congressional district are a bunch of insider politics that don't put food on a table or pay a mortgage, but we have some good news about these new maps. They will finally give the citizens of southeastern North Carolina the conservative voice they deserve. While still subject to change, these maps demonstrate a logical conclusion that the region is well served by concentrating its coastal strength from Morehead City to Calabash. Matching communities with similar economic and conservative interests serves all of the citizens of South Eastern North Carolina that share the same bedrock principles and values that have made our country great and that Ilario will stand for in Congress.
We are confident that the citizens of the new 7th District will respond very positively to Ilario's conservative message of JOB CREATION by reducing taxes and cutting regulations to spur private sector economic growth while at the same time putting an end to the runaway spending and crippling debt burden that threatens the prosperity of our families and future Generations. Ilario's pro-growth message of government reform and private sector innovation will stand in sharp contrast to his opponent's record of supporting the Obama stimulus, failing to support any budget or debt reduction plan, and his continued support for wasteful spending of money we don't have paid for by debt from governments we don't trust.
This weekend Congressman McIntyre is returning from a taxpayer paid luxury junket across Europe from Rome to Moscow to Lisbon where the official itinerary noted he and his wife were celebrating their wedding anniversary with all the perks of a Washington insider. Meanwhile, back here in southeastern North Carolina, where unemployment is in the double digits, Pantano will be spending time in 7 counties celebrating America's Independence with supporters and friends from all across the new district. A 4th of July stop will include Onslow County where Ilario served proudly as a Marine in two of our nation's wars, the first Gulf War (1991) and Iraq in (2004).
Pantano, whose father legally immigrated to the United States from Italy and became a US citizen in 1976, is willing to give the congressman an Italian Lesson for free when he returns from spending our money overseas. Pantano will also be happy to share with the Congressman what he heard from his fellow citizens of Southeastern North Carolina about their concerns over unemployment, the debt, and out of control federal spending which has ballooned over his opponents fourteen years in Washington living high on the hog.
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