Campaign

South Carolina Republicans decline to consider redistricting in blow to Trump

Comments:

by Tara Suter - 05/12/26 5:59 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

by Tara Suter - 05/12/26 5:59 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

South Carolina’s Senate on Monday declined to extend its legislative calendar to consider drawing new GOP-favored congressional lines, dealing a blow to President Trump before the midterms this fall.

The measure failed via a 29-17 vote after Trump on Monday urged Republicans to back the extension.

“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Democrats in the upper chamber of the South Carolina legislature celebrated the move, saying in a post on the social platform X that they “welcome” the vote and that the extension “would have allowed the legislature to return for a politically motivated special session on congressional redistricting.”

The South Carolina Senate has 34 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Last week, South Carolina state House Republicans voted to lengthen their legislative calendar. The vote kept open a pathway to drawing new congressional lines in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

The calendar extension also had to pass the South Carolina Senate.

Earlier this month, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) office told The Post and Courier that he wasn’t planning on requesting a special legislative session to change congressional lines.

Lawmakers in the South Carolina House were expected to bring a redistricting measure to the floor for a vote as soon as this week, but the legislation must both clear both South Carolina chambers, with the regular session ending Thursday.

Updated at 6:40 p.m. EDT

Add as preferred source on Google