The South Carolina Senate voted against advancing a congressional map that would have eliminated a Democrat-voting black-majority district, despite pressure from President Trump and the state governor.
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❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate voted 26-18 against a proposed congressional map that sought to eliminate the state’s racially gerrymandered black-majority district, which votes Democrat. The map, backed by President Donald J. Trump, national Republicans, and the state House, would have likely handed the GOP another U.S. House seat in the November midterms.
📍 WHEN & WHERE: The vote occurred on Tuesday in the Republican-led South Carolina Senate, following a special session called by Governor Henry McMaster (R).
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election that is already underway,” said Republican-in-name-only (RINO) state Senator Richard Cash.
🎯 IMPACT: The rejection halts efforts to redraw the map in time for the 2026 midterms, maintaining the status quo for South Carolina’s congressional districts in a manner that will help the Democrats in November.
📺 DETAIL: The South Carolina House had approved the map last week, with plans for a new primary election in affected districts. However, RINO state senators claimed to be concerned about the speed of the process, which followed a Supreme Court ruling that electoral districts racially gerrymandered to create a typically Democrat-voting minority majority are unconstitutional. The vote was a surprise, as the state senate previously voted in favor of redistricting, but not with the supermajority necessary to pass it. The special session only required a simple majority. Notably, Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey previously said he was opposed to the new map because “Republicans are stronger when the Democrat Party is vibrant and viable.”
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