The South Carolina State Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority required to advance a redistricting amendment on Tuesday, ending efforts to redraw congressional maps that would likely add one Republican-held U.S. House seat.
The vote resulted in 29 Republicans supporting and 17 opposing the measure, falling below the threshold needed for approval. The failure follows President Trump’s push to expedite redistricting reforms and a prior House GOP effort to extend the legislative session for the purpose.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey argued that vibrant political competition strengthens state governance. “I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties,” he stated during his floor speech, emphasizing Republicans benefit from a viable Democratic party.
South Carolina’s congressional delegation consists of six Republican representatives and one Democrat, Rep. James Clyburn in the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposed redistricting would have moved the state’s congressional primaries from June 9 to August 18. Without passage, the current primary schedule remains in effect.
State Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette labeled the Senate’s decision a “betrayal of the people of South Carolina” and “a direct defiance of President Trump’s clear call,” stressing it undermines electoral integrity.
Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto criticized the existing map as unfair, noting it would disrupt voters and congressional candidates relocated to different districts.
Sen. Chip Campsen of Isle of Palms highlighted the tight timeline for early voting, which begins in 14 days. He warned that attempting to finalize new maps by this deadline risks significant errors: “It’s almost impossible for us to pull this off without a tremendous amount of error added.”
The effort began with a House GOP Caucus meeting last week and included legislation fast-tracked at the president’s request after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Louisiana’s congressional map due to racial gerrymandering. This setback marks a critical delay in Republican efforts to reshape South Carolina’s congressional boundaries ahead of the midterm elections.