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Cawthorn portrayed his decision as one meant to further conservatism.

\"This move is not an abandonment. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It is a move to take more ground for constitutional conservatism,\" he said.

Critical announcement: we are taking ground for conservatism.

You elected a fighter. Trust me to fight for you. pic.twitter.com/861Um0yizc

— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) November 12, 2021

North Carolina's state Senate and state House approved a new map for congressional districts in the state on Nov. 4, according to the All About Redistricting tracker from Loyola Law School.

According to FiveThirtyEight's Redistricting Tracker, \"The new [North Carolina] map... has two fewer Democratic-leaning seats, two more Republican-leaning ones and one more competitive seat, for a final tally of 10 Republican-leaning seats, three Democratic-leaning seats and one competitive seat.\"

Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee spokesperson from North Carolina and a GOP strategist, told ABC News he was not surprised by Cawthorn's decision. There was \"a lot of speculation Cawthorn would make a move like this… He feels he can do it, and win,\" Heye said.

But even though Cawthorn argued he had to choose when his old district was split, Heye called his decision \"pure politics.\"

\"The way the lines are drawn, he would have been reelected in his old district,\" Heye said, adding that Cawthorn \"absolutely\" meant to push out Moore.

\"PHOTO:
Tribune News Service via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore speaks as the N.C. General Assembly convenes for a special session at the Legislative Building on Dec. 21, 2016, in Raleigh, N.C.
>

Some might see Cawthorn's decision as a sign of infighting within the Republican party between the political establishment and a \"anti-establishment, MAGA\" wing.

While Heye said that the district shift does reflect in-party fighting, he told ABC News that, \"It's hard in today's [Republican party] to determine what is 'establishment' or not… Those kinds of arguments essentially are antiquated.\"

Heye said he \"can't recall a move like this -- running to block someone else who isn't even in the House.\"

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