Color lines: redrawn congressional districts put blank voters in their place.

• Position: Statewide - Statistical data

New congressional-district lines weaken black influence statewide by strengthening it in certain districts. Approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly in July, the revised map moves some registered black voters, historically Democrats, from battleground districts to already heavily black, Democratic ones. This gives Republicans a better shot in the 2nd and 13th while weakening their chances in the 1st and 12th, districts they were bound to lose anyway. UNC Charlotte political scientist Eric Heberlig says this strategy, also used in redrawing state House and Senate lines, could increase the number of blacks in office but dilute Democratic influence statewide. Charlotte Democrat Mel Watt, who represents the 12th, is the state's only black congressman.

COUNTY INDEX

1. Alamance

2. Alexander

3. Alleghany

4. Anson

5. Ashe

6. Avery

7. Beaufort

8. Berne

9. Bladen

10. Brunswick

11. Buncombe

    12 Burke

13. Cabarrus

    14 Caldwell

15. Camden

16. Carteret

17. Caswell

18. Catawba

19. Chatham

20. Cherokee

21. Chowan

22. Clay

23. Cleveland

24. Columbus

    25 Craven

26. Cumberland

27. Cut stuck

28. Dare

    29: Davidson

30. Davie

31. Duplin

32. Dui ham

    33 Edgecombe

34. Forsyth

    35 Franklin

36. Gaston

37. Gates

    38 Graham

39. Granville

40. Greene

41. Guilford

42. Halifax

43. Harnett

44. Haywood

    45 Henderson

46. Hertford

47. Hoke

48. Hyde

    49 Iredell

50. Jackson

51. Johnston

52. Jones

53. Lee

54. Lenoir

55. Lincoln

56. McDowell

57. Macon

    58 Madison

59. Martin

60. Mecklenburg

    61 Mitchell

62. Montgomery

63. Moore

64. Nash

65. New Hanover

66. Northampton

67. Onslow

68. Orange

69. Pamlico

70. Pasquotank

71. Pender

72. Perquimans

73. Person

74. Pitt

75. Polk

76. Randolph

77. Richmond

78. Robeson

79. Rockingham

80. Rowan

    81 Rutherford

82. Sampson

83. Scotland

    84 Stanley

    85 Stokes

86. Surly

87. Swain

88. Transylvania

89. Tyrrell

90. Union

91. Vance

92. Wake

93. Warren

94. Washington

95. Watauga

96. Wayne

97. Wilkes

98. Wilson

99. Yadkin

100. Yancey

     RELATED ARTICLE: The inevitable court battle

     Few doubt that the redrawn districts will face legal challenges. "It's coming from multiple directions," Heberlig says. Among the reasons they might be found unconstitutional: not including entire counties within a district when feasible to do so and creating minority-majority districts. But if the cases take long to wend their way through the courts, as Heberlig says they will, the new districts might be in effect during the 2012 election cycle and beyond. Then, even if they're eventually tossed out, the candidates who win in them will wield the power and advantages inherent in incumbency.

     Registered black voters District Incumbent's...