South Carolina’s Trump-backed redistricting push fails in the state Senate amid GOP opposition

Key Points:

• The South Carolina Senate, led by Republicans, voted against advancing a new congressional map that would have eliminated the state's single majority-Black district, a move supported by former President Trump.
• The South Carolina House had previously approved the map and sought to hold a new primary election in August, but the Senate rejected the plan, citing concerns about timing since early voting for the June primary had already begun.
• Some Republican senators, including Richard Cash and Tom Davis, opposed the rushed redistricting effort, criticizing the lack of transparency and the short timeframe compared to the prior nine-month process.
• The special session to reconsider the map was called by Gov. Henry McMaster under pressure from the White House and national Republicans, but Senate leaders expressed concerns about the impact on political competition and election costs.
• South Carolina's redistricting battle is part of a broader national effort by Republicans to redraw maps following a Supreme Court ruling on racial gerrymandering, with similar actions occurring recently in Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana.