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South Carolina House advances new GOP-favored map to weaken Clyburn seat

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by Caroline Vakil - 05/20/26 8:41 AM ET

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by Caroline Vakil - 05/20/26 8:41 AM ET

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South Carolina House Republicans advanced a new GOP-favored map aimed at dismantling Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district and putting the GOP one step closer toward passing an aggressive redraw ahead of the midterms.

The Palmetto State’s lower chamber passed new congressional lines in a 74-37 vote shortly after midnight Wednesday. Four Republicans defected, voting against the proposed map.

The legislation now heads to the state Senate, which needs to pass those same congressional lines before it heads to Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) desk for his signature. The bill also calls for a special primary on Aug. 18 for the congressional contests, instead of holding the elections with the rest of state’s primaries on June 9.

“This fight is bigger than one district,” Clyburn said in a post on the social media platform X earlier this month regarding Republicans’ intentions to dismantle his district.

“It’s about whether our democracy belongs to the people, or to politicians who change the rules when they don’t like the results,” he said. “We cannot let them succeed.”

Yet Republicans face a tight timeline to pass any new map and delay their congressional primaries, with early voting set to begin Tuesday. The move will also downstream impacts for election officials, who will have to rapidly educate voters on the new primary date, which district they qualify to vote in and who is on the ballot.

President Trump has pressed Republicans in the Palmetto State and elsewhere to redraw their House maps before the midterms after the Supreme Court’s weakened the Voting Rights Act, paving the way to make it easier to dismantle majority-minority seats.

Tennessee Republicans passed their own map this month to eliminate Rep. Steve Cohen’s (D-Tenn.) district. Cohen announced he would retire from his seat following the map’s passage. Florida Republicans also passed a map to pick up several seats, and Alabama and Louisiana Republicans are also looking to create new lines.

The Supreme Court’s decision is a major blow to Democrats, who could lose a handful of seats in the South as a result. However, litigation is still ongoing.

While redistricting stands to benefit Republicans, some of the GOP efforts could backfire as the midterm environment is shaping up to look like the anti-Trump 2018 midterm cycle. Adding Democratic areas to Republican redistricts can also be risky.

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