New Lines Will Not Hurt Price

The district will cover Orange, Durham and portions of Wake and Chatham counties.

Under the plan, the number of voters in the district affiliated with a particular party will change only slightly. Registered Democrats will represent 48.9 percent of the district's registered voters and Republicans 30.8 percent. Close to 20 percent of registered voters are listed as unaffiliated.

Marc Siegel, communications director of the N.C. Democratic Party, said the district now is 49.1 percent Democrat and 31 percent Republican.

More than 72 percent of the new district will be composed of white voters, while blacks will make up 19.4 percent.

Bridget Lowell, Price's press secretary, said the 4th District retained the most territory of any district under the new plan.

She said Price is glad his district is mostly intact.

"He's pleased that the basic integrity of the district is respected."

Lowell also said the congressman is satisfied that the 4th District remains based in Research Triangle Park. "We're still very much an RTP-centered district."

Although the overall composition of the district remains the same, Lowell said Price lost about 150,000 constituents. The Triangle has been one of the state's fastest growing regions in the last decade, creating a district with an unusually large population.

UNC political science Professor Thad Beyle said mostly Wake County voters were cut from the 4th District.

But he said the new plan shouldn't effect Price's chances at re-election in 2002. Beyle said he thinks the changes in the district will have little effect on the congressman's policies. He added that as an incumbent, Price should be able to retain his seat next fall.

"I think he'll probably stay the course he's been running," he said.

But Beyle said the issue of redistricting is far from over. The plan must be approved by the U.S. Justice Department before it goes into effect.

He said a lawsuit could lose the state's 13th District congressional seat.

Utah sued the U.S. Census Bureau, claiming North Carolina unjustly gained one of its congressional seats based on 2001 Census results. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the suit last week, but Utah is considering other legal challenges. Beyle said, "If Utah wins, all our districts have got to be redrawn."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.