NC’s Hines running for Congress outside district, but he’s not alone. What the law says

Bo Hines lives where?

That was a common refrain during the 2022 election, and it surfaced again Thursday when Hines announced he had filed to run in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the Triad.

But his campaign told Axios Raleigh Thursday that the 28-year-old candidate lives in the Charlotte area, though his voter registration lists him in Fuquay-Varina.

His candidacy comes two years after he ran for Congress to represent the 13th Congressional District, which includes southern Wake County, Johnston County and parts of Harnett and Wayne counties.

Thursday, critics called Hines indecisive, but a candidate running in a district outside of their place of residency is permitted. The U.S. Constitution, which trumps any state laws, lays out requirements for a representative to live in the state, but offers no further residency guidance, so a candidate can live anywhere and run to represent any district.

Three members of North Carolina’s delegation currently live outside their districts but live nearby: Reps. Alma Adams, a Democrat from Charlotte; Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary; and Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville. Nickel ran against Hines in 2022.

Murphy and Adams can blame the legislature for regularly redrawing the congressional maps and not wanting to move, knowing the 2022 map was temporary.

Adams has moved once before from Greensboro, her hometown, to Charlotte to show her commitment to the district she represents when state lawmakers took her district from the Gate City to the Queen City.

Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, says there are no state or federal laws regarding a congressional candidate’s residency requirements within the state, leaving the candidate to decide what to do.

“It is usually advisable that a candidate reside in some community within the district, so that the voters at least have a sense that they understand what the district is like, or what the communities are about,” Bitzer said. “But there’s no legal requirement to do so, unlike with state legislative districts that are constitutionally mandated.”

Redistricting forces decisions

Last election cycle, Nickel found himself living in Rep. Deborah Ross’ district but chose to run nearby in the 13th Congressional District, which he now represents. He and Hines ran against each other in the 2022 general election in what was considered a swing district, meaning either party could have won it. Neither were from the district, though Hines moved there from Winston-Salem.

Under a new map released last month, Nickel’s district now favors Republicans, and his home is on the very edge of Ross’ district and near the border of Rep. Valerie Foushee’s. Ross is from Wake County and Foushee is from Orange County. Both are Democrats and remain in districts that should be easy for them to retain, based on past voting data.

Nickel has not yet announced his plans.

Some political observers wondered whether Hines would return to challenge him again in the 13th. When he announced he would run to represent the Triad instead, his GOP rivals were ready to react.

“Bo lives 100 miles from the Triad, has announced in five Congressional districts in two years, and lost to a weak Democrat last year,” former Rep. Mark Walker wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Walker also lives outside the 6th Congressional District, where he now will face Hines.

“Bo’s dad can buy him a Yale degree, a new house in Union County and even matching Lululemon pants, but I’m confident it can’t buy this district,” Walker wrote.

Hines’ history of districts

For the 2022 election, Hines moved from district to district in an attempt to run against Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican powerhouse from Banner Elk that some of the most established Republicans refuse to take on in an election.

But when Sen. Ted Budd announced he would not seek reelection in 2022 for his 13th Congressional District seat based in the Triad, and would instead focus on the upper chamber, Hines moved his campaign.

Then the congressional maps were redrawn, and the 13th Congressional District moved from the Triad to the Triangle and Hines followed.

“Bo Hines showcased his youthful indecisiveness last election cycle when he explored running in three different congressional districts, before he ultimately lost to liberal Democrat Wiley Nickel in a Republican leaning district near Raleigh,” said Christian Castelli, a retired lieutenant colonel, running against Hines.

Castelli also lives outside the district in Southern Pines, though his voter registration places him in Greensboro.

His campaign staff said that once the congressional map was finalized Castelli began looking for a residence within the 6th District and plans to move there before the end of the year.

North Carolina isn’t the only state with candidates running outside districts. A quick online search pulls up numerous articles of well-known politicians running outside the district they live in.