South Carolina Senate Rejects Redistricting Map Targeting Lone Democratic District

The South Carolina Senate rejected a new U.S. congressional map on May 26 that could have eliminated the only Democratic seat in the state ahead of the midterms. It is currently held by Rep. Jim Clyburn. The Republican-led chamber rejected cloture to proceed to the bill 20–24 after it cleared the state House 74–37 on May 20. Twenty-six votes were needed for the motion to pass. The proposal would have pushed the state’s ‌primary elections for the U.S. House from June 9 to Aug. 18 and given election officials time to redistrict areas in Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia. On May 15, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the South Carolina General Assembly to reconvene and “continue consideration of South Carolina’s congressional districts” after a handful of Republican lawmakers joined Democrats on May 12 to reject a bid to extend the session to discuss redrawing districts....