The office of Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger did not immediately respond Monday to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit. The “Black Belt” counties of eastern North Carolina have significant and politically cohesive populations of Black voters who overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, the lawsuit states. A white majority in the surrounding area is also politically cohesive, and the plaintiffs argue they historically vote as a bloc to defeat candidates supported by Black voters. One of those districts, Senate District 2, where Pierce and Matthews reside, stretches more than 160 miles from the Virginia border down parts of the Atlantic coastline. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, said the lawsuit provides “a glimmer of hope” to Black voters in eastern North Carolina.

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Persons: Rodney Pierce, Moses Matthews, Phil Berger, Pierce, Matthews, Dan Blue, ”, Blue, ___ Hannah Schoenbaum Organizations: Republican, Assembly, GOP, Democratic, Black voters, North, General, Wake, Wake County Democrat, General Assembly, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, North Carolina, Black, Halifax County, Martin County, Virginia, Wake County