An effort to redraw South Carolina’s congressional map, which likely would have added one GOP-held U.S. House seat, has failed in the state Senate.
Despite a push from President Trump, five Republicans voted against extending the state’s legislative session to focus on redistricting.
The 29-17 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority approval needed to proceed.
“The South Carolina State Senate has a big vote tomorrow on Redistricting. I’m watching closely, along with all Republicans across the Country who are counting on their Elected Leaders to use every Legal and Constitutional authority they have to stop the Radical Left Democrats from destroying our Country, including leveling the playing field against their decades of egregious Gerrymandering and Census Rigging,” Trump said on Monday.
“South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS, just like the Republicans of the Great State of Tennessee were last week! Move the U.S. House Primaries to August, leave the rest on the same schedule. Everything will be fine. GET IT DONE!” he added.
NBC News explained further:
Separately on Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a map Republicans drew last year to divide up the state’s lone Democratic district can go into effect for this year’s midterms, even as opponents are advancing a ballot referendum to repeal it.
But the South Carolina state Senate’s vote Tuesday is a setback for Republicans seeking to further expand their redistricting advantage heading into the midterms.
With the legislative session due to end Thursday afternoon, lawmakers needed more time to complete the multistep process of passing a new map. On Monday, Republicans in the House voted to extend the end of their legislative session, and the Senate spent all of its session Tuesday debating the same measure.
In an extensive floor speech, Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said trying to draw a new map would be short-sighted.
“I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties. I think we, as a whole, are stronger when we have a clash of ideas. I think that’s true at the national level. I think it’s true at the state level. We are stronger when we have a clash of ideas and we can discuss those policy goals,” Massey said. “Republicans are stronger when the Democrat Party is vibrant and viable.”
South Carolina's congressional delegation consists of 6 Republicans and 1 Democrat.
Rep. James Clyburn is the lone South Carolina Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bid to extend the legislative session would have pushed the state's congressional primaries to August.
The primaries are currently scheduled for June 9.
"South Carolina’s voters elected strong Republican majorities in the State House and Senate to deliver fair, constitutional congressional maps that end Democrat racial gerrymandering and strengthen our conservative stronghold. The Senate’s refusal to advance these efforts today is a betrayal of the people of South Carolina and a direct defiance of President Trump's clear call to produce maps that honor the will of our voters and put America First," South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette said.
"There is no time for hesitation or excuses. We must finish this redistricting work now, by any means necessary, to deliver representation rooted in the Constitution, not identity politics. I stand with conservatives across South Carolina and President Trump in leading this fight to end the rigged maps, eliminate racial gerrymandering, and maximize the conservative stronghold. The integrity of our elections and the future of our state demand nothing less," she continued.
South Carolina’s voters elected strong Republican majorities in the State House and Senate to deliver fair, constitutional congressional maps that end Democrat racial gerrymandering and strengthen our conservative stronghold.
The Senate’s refusal to advance these efforts today… https://t.co/RNBrekfWmh
— Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (@PamelaEvette) May 12, 2026
More from the South Carolina Daily Gazette:
Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto agreed it’s not right to take a “map someone else gave us,” which will only exacerbate political divisions. The Orangeburg Democrat called it unfair to voters and the congressional candidates who may suddenly live in a different district.
Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, noted that early voting starts in just 14 days. Other states that have changed their voting lines for the midterm elections did so months before people went to the polls.
“It’s almost impossible for us to pull this off, not without a tremendous amount of error added in,” he said. “What if we do pull it off? What do we have? Those who crafted this map had no interest whatsoever — they could care less about our communities.”
The entire effort started a week ago with a House GOP Caucus meeting. On Wednesday, the House voted along party lines to add redistricting to the off-session rules.
Legislation was fast-tracked at the president’s request.
After the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Louisiana’s congressional map as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, the White House urged Republican leaders in both chambers to look at the ruling and South Carolina’s map.
ADVERTISEMENTAs Massey spoke, shouting in the Statehouse lobby briefly got security’s attention. About 10 people paraded through yelling, “This is what democracy looks like. Don’t rig our map.” They were escorted down the steps and outside without issue.
Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee took up legislation on the next steps — bills that would delay the congressional primaries until Aug. 18 and advance the White House-endorsed map.
That map, which was first circulated by the House GOP last Thursday, uses “political data” to create seven GOP seats, said the map’s author, Adam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust.
