May 26, 2026 Story by: Publisher
The South Carolina Senate on Tuesday, May 26, rejected a procedural motion needed to advance a congressional redistricting bill that would have reshaped Democratic Rep. James Clyburn’s district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Five Republican senators joined Democrats in voting against advancing the map, effectively halting the effort despite strong support from House Republicans and Gov. Henry McMaster.
South Carolina’s current 6R-1D congressional map is set to remain in place after the South Carolina Senate voted 26-18 against taking up redistricting this session.
The proposed map would have significantly altered South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, the state’s only Black-majority U.S. House district and the only congressional seat currently held by a Democrat in the state. The district includes a large Black voting population and has been represented by Clyburn since 1993.
South Carolina House passes new congressional map
South Carolina House Republicans passed a new congressional map in a 74-37 vote shortly after midnight Wednesday, May 20 advancing a plan aimed at reshaping Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district. The passage occurred shortly after midnight Wednesday. Four Republicans defected, voting against the proposed map.
The legislation now heads to the state Senate, which needs to pass the redrawn lines before they head to Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) desk for his signature. The bill also calls for a special primary on Aug. 18 for the congressional contests, instead of holding the elections with the rest of the state’s primaries on June 9.
Gov. McMaster calls special session to redraw South Carolina House map
South Carolina’s escalating redistricting battle took another dramatic turn Wednesday, May 13, after Gov. Henry McMaster announced plans to call lawmakers back to Columbia for a special legislative session focused on congressional redistricting, despite the state Senate rejecting an earlier attempt to reopen debate on new maps.
In South Carolina, the latest proposal centers on the state’s only Democratic-held congressional seat represented by Jim Clyburn, the longtime congressman whose 6th Congressional District contains a substantial Black voting population.
Republicans have openly discussed altering the district in ways that could make it more favorable to the GOP, potentially threatening one of the South’s most prominent Black political strongholds.
Clyburn is the sole Democrat in South Carolina’s House delegation; the new map would dismantle his district, leaving the state with 7 likely red seats and no Democratic-leaning ones.
The South Carolina Senate on Tuesday, May 12, failed to secure the two-thirds vote necessary to continue legislative business after the regular session adjourned, effectively halting immediate consideration of the redistricting proposal. Several Republicans joined Democrats in opposition, creating a rare split within the GOP-controlled chamber.
Among the most vocal critics was Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, who warned that aggressively targeting Clyburn’s district could politically backfire. Massey argued South Carolina’s congressional map is already heavily tilted toward Republicans, who currently hold six of the state’s seven U.S. House seats.
Shane Massey, who was one of the five Republicans who opposed the measure on Tuesday, has begun communicating McMaster’s decision to lawmakers, one person familiar with the conversations said. It’s still unclear if Massey will try to sway Republicans who voted to open the door to a redraw to switch their votes.
The failed Senate vote drew immediate backlash from allies of Donald Trump, whose political network has strongly encouraged Republican-led states to pursue aggressive mid-decade redistricting efforts. Trump allies reportedly viewed South Carolina as a prime opportunity to eliminate a Democratic seat and strengthen the GOP’s narrow U.S. House majority before 2026.
Despite previously expressing hesitation about reopening the issue, McMaster now appears prepared to move forward with a special session.
The political stakes extend well beyond South Carolina. Across the South, Republican-led legislatures are increasingly testing how far states can go in redrawing congressional districts after the Supreme Court’s latest voting-rights decision.
For Democrats, the fight over South Carolina’s map has become symbolic of a broader national struggle over voting rights, racial representation and partisan power ahead of the next census cycle.
Any attempt to redraw Clyburn’s district would almost certainly trigger immediate legal challenges and intensify scrutiny over whether Republican lawmakers are using race and party affiliation to reshape political power in the South.
Source: Fox Carolina / Politico / WCNC
