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South Carolina state House leaves door open for redistricting

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by Julia Mueller - 05/07/26 9:46 AM ET

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by Julia Mueller - 05/07/26 9:46 AM ET

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Republicans in the South Carolina state House voted on Wednesday to extend their legislative calendar, leaving the door open to drawing new congressional lines after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling rattled the redistricting arms race.

The extension must also pass the state Senate. If it does, it could put the Palmetto State on a path to new maps that favor Republicans amid pressure from President Trump — though it remains to be seen how new lines would affect the GOP’s current 6-1 majority in South Carolina’s U.S. House delegation.

The chair of the state House Judiciary panel has scheduled a Friday hearing over redistricting.

South Carolina’s primary is less than a month away, and some absentee ballots have already been sent out to voters.

“At the urging of Donald Trump, Republicans have decided to disenfranchise South Carolina voters by attempting to redraw our congressional maps in the middle of an election cycle without any input from the public,” South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain said in a statement.

“This decision is reckless, irresponsible and undermines voter confidence and harms every voter in South Carolina, regardless of party,” Spain said, urging Republicans to put the question before voters instead.

Pressure is building on red states in the South to reconsider redistricting, after a Trump-backed effort in Texas kickstarted back-and-forth changes in states across the country.

After voters in Virginia approved a Democrat-friendly redraw last month, the redistricting fight appeared to be slowing down — but a Supreme Court ruling weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and opened the door for more states to redistrict — potentially ahead of the midterms.

Earlier this week, several state senators in Indiana lost their primaries to challengers Trump backed after the incumbents voted against a redistricting plan in the state. Trump has reportedly called South Carolina lawmakers to push to consider new maps.

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