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We May Have Some Trouble in South Carolina Over Redistricting

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 12, 2026 1:45 AM

South Carolina should be a state where redistricting is simple, like in Florida. The Louisiana vs. Callais decision limited the application of section II of the Voting Rights Act, which permits congressional apportionment based on race, to the point of erasure. The whole South can now be redrawn. Florida accomplished it in two days. Tennessee has followed suit, and last night, the Supreme Court gave Alabama the green light. So, what’s delaying the process in the Palmetto State? Three words: South Carolina Republicans. 

Specifically, we face issues in the South Carolina Senate, which has a 46-member chamber with 34 seats held by Republicans, but nine state senators are causing problems. One of them is Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey (via Charleston City Paper):

With just three business days left in the legislative session, Republicans in the South Carolina Senate tapped the brakes Thursday on a last-minute plan to gerrymander 17-term Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn out of his congressional seat.

The plan, which would have to begin with a special session to redraw the lines after the legislature formally adjourns for the year on May 14, appeared to be dead as recently as Tuesday, when Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he wouldn’t call lawmakers back into session on the issue.

In his announcement, McMaster noted statewide primary elections are set for June 9, with candidates actively running in districts that were redrawn in 2022. What’s more, military and overseas ballots for those races have already been sent — and some have been returned.

But in the face of intense personal and public lobbying by President Donald Trump and grassroots GOP activists across the state, S.C. House Republicans revived the redistricting push on Wednesday, passing a resolution to authorize the special session in an 87-25 party-line vote.

So what slowed the plan’s momentum in the Senate? Concerns among GOP officials that carving up the state’s only Democratic congressional district could wind up endangering the six safe U.S. House seats Republicans currently enjoy. 

Or as Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey put it earlier in the week: “I think if you try to get 7-0, you’re more likely to get 5-2. Trying to get cute with this is more likely to cause a problem than be beneficial.”

The good news is that out of the nine holdouts, four have flipped, with another four now on the fence. Mr. Massey remains a solid no vote:

Do these people need a reminder of what happened in Indiana, where nine anti-redistricting Republicans lost in their primaries? The final vote is later today, and Trump will be paying attention.