South Carolina’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted early on Wednesday to advance a new congressional map that critics say is designed to threaten the re-election of long-serving Democratic U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn. The measure passed after prolonged debate and must still clear the state Senate, where Republicans hold a 34-12 advantage.
The legislation would shift the state’s U.S. House primary elections from June 9 to August 18. Sponsors said the delay is intended to give candidates time to re-file and run campaigns under the redrawn district lines.
The House action came during a special session convened by Republican Governor Henry McMaster following pressure from former President Donald Trump to redraw South Carolina’s congressional map. Republicans already occupy six of the state’s seven U.S. House seats, and the bill’s proponents framed the redrawing as consistent with the state’s recent voting outcomes.
Opponents warned the map diminishes political influence for Black voters. On the chamber floor, Democratic Representative John King, who is Black, said the bill sent a direct message to young Black boys and girls: “We don’t want your voice in our democracy.”
Republican state Representative Luke Rankin, the lead sponsor, rejected claims the plan was racially motivated. Rankin pointed to recent election results in South Carolina, noting that President Trump won the state on three occasions and arguing it was reasonable for voters who elected the state’s lawmakers to expect a fully Republican congressional delegation.
The House debate spanned two marathon days, with each day’s floor session lasting more than 10 hours. The vote to pass the redistricting measure occurred at 12:39 a.m. on Wednesday, largely along party lines.
Democrats sought to slow the process by offering hundreds of amendments. Late on Monday, Republicans in the chamber imposed new rules to limit the number of amendments lawmakers could introduce.
Jim Clyburn, 85, a Black Democrat and a prominent figure within his party, has represented South Carolina’s sixth congressional district since 1993. The redrawn map is seen by its backers as a means to convert the state’s current representation into a fully Republican delegation; by contrast, opponents describe it as an effort to dilute Black voting power.
The House action follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in April that significantly reduced protections for U.S. House districts largely composed of Black or Latino voters. That ruling has prompted several Southern states to move quickly to redraw maps. Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee have all taken steps to dismantle Democratic-held seats while postponing their U.S. House primary elections to accommodate new maps. In some of those states, the reworking of districts and the postponement of primaries resulted in the invalidation of thousands of absentee ballots already returned by mail.
Nationally, the court decision intensified a broader redistricting effort that began last summer, when former President Trump urged Republicans in Texas to draw a new map targeting multiple Democratic incumbents. While the ruling and ensuing redistricting have strengthened Republican prospects in mapmaking, the article’s source material notes that Democrats remain in a position to win control of the U.S. House because of factors including President Trump’s declining approval ratings and an unpopular Iran war.
The South Carolina measure now moves to the state Senate for consideration. If enacted, the combination of revised district boundaries and postponed primaries will reshape the timeline and dynamics of the state’s 2024 congressional races and could put a long-serving Democratic incumbent at heightened risk in the November midterm elections.
Summary: The Republican-controlled South Carolina House approved a new congressional map and postponed U.S. House primaries from June 9 to August 18. The change, passed during a special session called by the governor after pressure from former President Trump, is intended by supporters to reflect recent voting patterns and by critics to undermine Black voter influence and threaten Rep. Jim Clyburn’s re-election. The measure now goes to a Republican-majority state Senate.