The South Carolina Senate has taken a significant step to complicate the process of redrawing its congressional map, standing firm against pressure from President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, lawmakers did not secure the necessary two-thirds majority to pass a measure that would have enabled a redistricting vote beyond the end of the legislative session later this week. Five Republicans sided with all Democrats to vote against the proposal.
Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, retains the option to call a special session, although his office has currently dismissed this possibility.
The outcome of Tuesday’s vote does not definitively end redistricting efforts in South Carolina, yet it reduces the likelihood of Trump achieving his goal of eliminating the state’s only Democratic district, represented by influential Rep. Jim Clyburn, before the upcoming midterm elections.
“The South Carolina State Senate has a big vote tomorrow on Redistricting. I’m watching closely,” Trump posted on social media Monday evening.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey had previously declared in Columbia that he would oppose any attempt to redraw the state’s congressional maps. This stance caught the attention of Republicans in Washington, including Trump, who contacted Massey at least twice to urge him to support the redistricting effort.
Despite this, Massey voted against the measure. In a passionate speech prior to the vote, he acknowledged the potential personal repercussions of his stance: “I understand that there are likely consequences for me personally standing here right now and taking the position that I’m in. … My conscience is clear on this one, y’all.”
He criticized national Republicans for not achieving significant results despite their majority, and cautioned that excluding Democrats entirely from South Carolina’s congressional delegation could result in a loss of influence when a Democrat next holds the presidency.
Following Tuesday’s decision, further attempts to alter the map are likely to meet with similar opposition. Faced with ongoing pressure from national Republicans, McMaster might reconsider and opt to call a special session to progress with redistricting.
This is not the first instance of Trump encountering resistance from within the GOP on redistricting issues. Republicans in states like Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, and New Hampshire resisted Trump’s and his team’s calls to redraw House lines last year, leading to repercussions for some Indiana lawmakers in recent primaries.
Meanwhile, other Southern states appear ready to pursue redraws following several court rulings that have generally favored Republicans in the redistricting battle. The Supreme Court authorized Alabama on Monday to eliminate a Black district, and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves stated in an interview last week that he possesses the authority to call a special session on redistricting.
