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Republican Redistricting Crusade Hits Roadblock In South Carolina And Alabama As New Maps Get Tossed
Several Republican senators who had previously supported the effort changed their positions, citing the late timing and logistical concerns.
The Republican-led South Carolina Senate on Tuesday voted down a measure to advance a new congressional map, halting the redistricting effort for now and dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’s push to reshape districts ahead of the midterms.
The proposal, which had passed the state House last week, aimed to eliminate the state’s only majority-Black congressional district currently held by longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn. Trump had publicly urged lawmakers to approve the map to strengthen Republican advantages.
The surprise failure came after early voting for the June primary began on Tuesday. Several Republican senators who had previously supported the effort changed their positions, citing the late timing and logistical concerns.
“Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election that is already underway,” said Republican state Sen. Richard Cash, who switched his vote.
State Sen. Tom Davis, another Republican, criticized the rushed process, noting that a previous redistricting effort had taken nine months of deliberation.
“We have completely outsourced our constitutional obligation to prepare a congressional redistricting map to a consultant in Washington, D.C. We have no idea how that map was created,” Davis said.
White House Caught Off Guard
Advisers close to the Trump administration expressed surprise at the outcome, with one describing it as a “betrayal.” They noted that votes had appeared solid in a previous round and no new information had emerged to justify the shift. The White House was reportedly not given advance notice by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.
South Carolina is not the first Republican-controlled state to resist Trump’s redistricting agenda. In December, Indiana’s Senate rejected a similar map despite heavy pressure from the White House. Trump later backed primary challengers against those lawmakers, defeating five of them earlier this month.
Broader Redistricting Context
The effort in South Carolina followed a major Supreme Court ruling on racial gerrymandering that opened the door for states to redraw maps. In recent weeks, Florida and Tennessee have enacted new maps, while Louisiana Republicans are advancing their own proposal.
Election officials in South Carolina had warned that implementing the new lines this close to the election would cost an additional $6 million and require a new round of primaries in August. All members of the South Carolina Senate are up for re-election in 2028, and the failed push is expected to fuel tensions within the state’s Republican Party ahead of future primaries.
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