South Carolina Senate advances congressional map dismantling its only majority-minority district

On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the South Carolina state Senate advanced a new congressional redistricting map on a second-reading vote of 27-17. Earlier that day the Republican-controlled chamber invoked cloture, capping each senator's floor debate at one hour; late in the afternoon, senators abandoned a planned overnight session and moved to advance the bill ahead of schedule. The map redraws South Carolina's seven U.S. House districts and breaks up the 6th Congressional District -- the state's only majority-minority district and its only seat held by a Democrat, Rep. James "Jim" Clyburn, who was first elected in 1992. Under the new lines, Republicans would be positioned to win all seven of the state's congressional seats. A decisive third-reading vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26.

The redraw is the South Carolina chapter of a mid-decade Republican redistricting effort that followed the U.S. Supreme Court's 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. President Donald Trump has pressed Republican-controlled states to redraw their U.S. House maps before the 2026 midterm elections; in South Carolina he pressed lawmakers publicly and in a direct call to Senate leadership. Gov. Henry McMaster called a special session dedicated to redistricting after a bloc of Republican senators had earlier joined Democrats to block one. The state House passed the map 74-37 in a post-midnight vote on May 20, and the Senate Judiciary Committee referred it to the floor on a 15-7 vote before the full Senate's May 23 action. Sen. Larry Grooms led the floor push to invoke cloture and move the bill ahead of schedule.

Black residents make up the largest share of the 6th District's population -- a plurality rather than a majority -- and the redraw would reduce that share, diluting Black voting strength across South Carolina's congressional delegation; that racial dimension is central to the objections raised against the map. The bill also delays South Carolina's congressional primary from June 9 to August 18, a change the State Election Commission has estimated would cost roughly $5 million, even as early voting is set to begin May 26 and absentee ballots -- including ballots cast by military voters -- have already been returned. Senate Democrats and voting-rights groups have said they will challenge the map in court if it receives final passage; Gov. McMaster's signature would complete enactment.