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Gov. Henry McMaster on Thursday called a special legislative session to redraw South Carolina’s congressional districts, intensifying a politically explosive fight over election maps just 12 days before early voting is set to begin for the state’s primary elections.
The special session, scheduled to begin Friday morning, comes after weeks of mounting pressure from Donald Trump and national Republicans seeking to reshape South Carolina’s congressional lines in hopes of eliminating Democrats’ lone U.S. House seat in the state.
McMaster’s executive order did not explicitly direct lawmakers to redraw congressional districts, since governors lack authority to dictate the Legislature’s agenda during special sessions. But the order strongly signaled that redistricting is the intended focus.
“An issue of such public importance and interest should be not only debated but also decided by the People’s representatives,” the governor wrote.
The announcement marked a dramatic reversal for McMaster, who had previously indicated he did not expect to call lawmakers back into session over redistricting.
The push to redraw South Carolina’s congressional lines escalated after the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down Louisiana’s congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in the case known as Louisiana v. Callais.
National Republicans and allies of Trump have argued the ruling opened the door for Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The White House-backed proposal in South Carolina would create seven Republican-leaning congressional districts by dismantling the state’s lone Democratic seat currently represented by Jim Clyburn.
Clyburn has represented the 6th Congressional District since 1993 and became the first Black South Carolinian elected to Congress in nearly a century after a court-drawn map created a Black-majority district.
Although demographic changes have altered the district over time, it remains reliably Democratic.
Senate resistance exposes GOP divide
The governor’s move came just days after the South Carolina Senate rejected an effort to authorize redistricting during the legislative off-session.
In a 29-17 vote Tuesday, five Republican senators joined Democrats to block the measure, leaving it two votes short of the two-thirds majority required for approval.
Shane Massey, one of the Republicans who opposed the effort, sharply criticized McMaster’s decision and suggested the governor caved to pressure from Trump and national Republicans.
“Based on what I’ve seen this week, I think the governor’s going to do whatever he’s told to do,” Massey told reporters Thursday. “There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of pushback or backbone downstairs this week.”
Massey argued lawmakers are moving too late in the election cycle to responsibly overhaul congressional districts without disrupting voting and risking litigation.
“It’s all problematic, based on what’s right,” he said.
Legal and election concerns
Republican and Democratic opponents of the accelerated redistricting effort have warned the proposal could create significant election administration problems.
Early voting for South Carolina’s June 9 primaries begins May 26, and thousands of absentee ballots have already been mailed to voters, including military personnel overseas.
Under legislation advancing through the Republican-controlled House, congressional primaries would be delayed until August while other statewide and legislative races would remain on the June ballot.
That means voters would cast ballots for congressional candidates in June, but those votes would effectively be discarded if new district lines are approved.
Election officials and critics have warned the timeline could create confusion among voters and potentially disenfranchise military members and overseas absentee voters who may not receive updated ballots in time.
Outside the Statehouse on Thursday, dozens of demonstrators protested the redistricting push, carrying signs reading “Black voters matter” and “This is what democracy looks like.”
Critics also raised concerns about the taxpayer cost of holding a second primary election later this summer.
Trump influence looms over debate
Trump has personally pushed South Carolina Republicans to move forward with the map overhaul as part of a broader national strategy to protect Republicans’ narrow majority in the U.S. House.
Trump publicly urged lawmakers through social media and private outreach to support redistricting efforts.
Supporters of the proposed map argue the changes are necessary following the Supreme Court’s Louisiana decision and say the new districts would better reflect partisan voting patterns rather than race.
But opponents note the Supreme Court already upheld South Carolina’s congressional map in 2024, ruling that lawmakers engaged in partisan — not racial — gerrymandering.
Massey himself has acknowledged that the existing map was designed to concentrate Democratic voters in Clyburn’s district to preserve Republican advantages elsewhere in the state.
The redistricting battle highlights growing tensions within the Republican Party over how aggressively to redraw congressional maps following the Supreme Court’s recent rollback of Voting Rights Act protections.
Some Republicans fear the aggressive map could energize Democratic turnout and create unintended political consequences in competitive races statewide.
Massey warned the proposal could ultimately backfire by increasing Democratic enthusiasm and fundraising ahead of the November elections.
The proposed congressional map was developed by the National Republican Redistricting Trust and is expected to face immediate legal challenges if enacted.
House Republicans plan to begin debate on the redistricting proposal Friday, with legislative leaders hoping to pass a map through the House by next week.
The Senate would then face intense pressure to act before early voting begins May 26.
Lawmakers are also expected to debate legislation delaying congressional primaries until August if the new map advances.
Legal experts and voting rights groups have signaled they are prepared to challenge any last-minute redistricting effort in court.
