By The Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate turned down a proposal on Tuesday to extend the current legislative session for redistricting, defying pressure from President Donald Trump. Five GOP senators joined Democrats in opposing the plan.A resolution to prolong the session — which is scheduled to wrap up later this week — failed to secure the required two-thirds majority. The setback effectively halts, for the time being, Republican efforts to reshape the state’s only majority-Black congressional district, currently held by veteran Democratic Rep. James Clyburn.
The veteran Democrat has long been seen as the reason Joe Biden was able to win the 2020 Democratic primary and is seen as a power player in the Palmetto State.
South Carolina’s primaries are scheduled for June 9.Trump had called on the Senate to approve the measure, which had already cleared the House, posting on Truth Social Monday night:
“The South Carolina State Senate has a big vote tomorrow on Redistricting. I’m watching closely, along with all Republicans across the Country,” Trump posted. “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. Everything will be fine. GET IT DONE!”
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the consideration of race in redistricting has opened the door for GOP-led states to revisit maps featuring majority-minority districts held by Democrats. Tennessee recently approved a new map that splits its sole majority-Black district, while Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana are advancing similar changes.These mid-decade redraws have intensified as both parties compete for control of the closely divided U.S. House, wrote NBC News. According to analyses of newly enacted maps, Republicans stand to net as many as 14 seats compared to six for Democrats.In a separate development Tuesday, Missouri’s Supreme Court upheld a Republican-drawn map that divides the state’s lone Democratic district, allowing it to take effect for this year’s midterms despite an ongoing effort to repeal it via ballot referendum.
The South Carolina vote represents a notable obstacle for Republicans hoping to strengthen their position ahead of the elections. With the session ending Thursday, additional time would have been needed to complete the full process of adopting a new map. The House had already voted to extend its session, and the Senate devoted much of Tuesday to debating the issue.During floor debate, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, a Republican, argued against the move, calling it shortsighted.
“I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties. I think we, as a whole, are stronger when we have a clash of ideas. I think that’s true at the national level. I think it’s true at the state level. We are stronger when we have a clash of ideas and we can discuss those policy goals,” Massey said. “Republicans are stronger when the Democrat Party is vibrant and viable.”
Massey also addressed Trump’s involvement indirectly, drawing on South Carolina’s history:
“I have too much Southern blood in me to surrender. Indeed, as some of you will recognize, it is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid, to think and act for myself,” he said. “I’ve got too much Southern in my blood. I’ve got too much resistance in my heritage.”
It remains unclear what Republicans favoring redistricting will do next. One option is for Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to call a special legislative session. In a post on Twitter Tuesday evening, McMaster noted that lawmakers still had two days left to address redistricting but stopped short of announcing a special session.Several prominent South Carolina Republicans criticized the senators who voted no. Attorney General Alan Wilson described it as a “missed opportunity” and urged McMaster to call a special session.
Rep. Ralph Norman said on Twitter that “NONE of them should be in public office after the next election.”
Rep. Nancy Mace laid into her state’s Republicans from chickening out.
Never thought I'd see "Republican" legislators in the South Carolina Senate defending race-based gerrymandering – but here we are.
Two of my opponents wasted whatever was left of their political capital today to embarrass themselves at the statehouse. We need a Governor who the…
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) May 12, 2026
The outcome came shortly after five Indiana Republican senators who opposed a Trump-supported redistricting effort last year were defeated in primaries by candidates Trump backed. South Carolina senators do not face reelection until 2028.
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