By Carol Lucas
So much has been happening on the national level that I fear we may have lost track of a significant event in May in South Carolina. That James Clyburn was the target was evident. The attempt to redraw the voting districts of our state met with defeat, however, thanks to a crossover by five senators. But more on those heroes later.
Perhaps a little history is called for to fully understand the process used by politicians today. Gerrymandering or redrawing voting districts to suit (“favor” is perhaps a better word) one political party over another has a long history.
The first recorded instance that gave the name to this political cudgel occurred in 1812 in Massachusetts when Gov. Elbridge Gerry noted after reviewing the proposed new map that one of the districts looked like a mythical salamander. Thus his name and the notion of a salamander were combined to produce the notion of “Gerrymander” and the term stuck, according to Wikipedia.
In the United States, redistricting takes place in each state about every 10 years, after the decennial census. It defines geographical boundaries, with each district within a state being geographically contiguous and having about the same number of state voters.
Where the issue becomes blatantly political is when electoral interests are set up by those with the power to produce and promote. In most states, it is controlled by state legislatures and sometimes the governor. In some states the governor has no veto power over redistricting legislation, while in others the veto override threshold is a simple majority. Other states may have an independent commission that is tasked with drawing district boundaries.
Let’s be very clear. This is a tactic that has been used by both parties to establish an advantage. Recent activities in this arena, however, have escalated to a tension-filled level. In 2025, it began in Texas at the behest of 47. He declared that because he had won Texas, he was “entitled” to five more seats, and so Gov. Gregg Abbott accommodated this request.
This was followed by California’s Gavin Newsom who declared they would do the same as a response to Texas. And so the tidal wave began to gather in intensity and speed.
The scoreboard in this game of chess has mostly favored the GOP. Tennessee adopted a new map that gives Republicans control while Rep. Steve Cohen who represents the lone majority-Black district has said he will challenge this in court
In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey called for a special primary election in August in the four altered districts. Louisiana’s Gov. Jeff Landry delayed the May 16 House primaries to give the GOP-controlled legislature time to reshape the lines. Republicans there are aiming to erase one or both of the state’s two Black-majority House seats.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional district map into law adding four more right-leaning seats by eliminating districts currently held by Democrats. Republicans already controlled the state’s House delegation, 20-8.
In Virginia, the state Supreme Court issued a ruling invalidating a ballot measure that Democrats said would have given their party an additional four left-leaning House seats. This is currently under appeal.
According to Sadie Smith, American Almanac
But back to what happened in S.C.
Five Republican state senators broke with their party and joined Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have kept congressional redistricting alive, handing the President a setback in his nationwide push to redraw House maps before the 2026 midterms. They were Shane Massey, Sean Bennett, Greg Hembree, and our own Chip Campsen and Tom Davis.
The South Carolina Senate voted 17-29 to block the measure, falling two votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to allow a redistricting vote after the legislative session closes. The proposal had already advanced through the state House and was widely expected to target the district held by Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat in South Carolina’s seven-member congressional delegation.
This occurred despite pressure from the White House. Hours before the vote, 47 warned, “GET IT DONE” followed by, “I’ll be watching closely!”
He watched. And the legislature said no.
Gov. McMaster could call the legislature back into session and try again. Thus far, that hasn’t happened.
The most prominent Republican to lead the dissent was South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, who argued on the chamber floor that following Trump’s redistricting lead would weaken the state’s political standing. Massey told colleagues that South Carolina “has always punched above their weight” and that the redistricting gambit would “diminish that influence.”
He did not pretend the decision would come without a cost. He acknowledged the political risk plainly:
“There are likely consequences for me, personally, taking the position that I am right now. I’m comfortable with that. I may not like it, but I’m comfortable with it … My conscience is clear on this one.”
“We are the most gerrymandered Republican state in the country already,” he added.
Redistricting has always been a questionable exercise in American politics; both parties know it, both parties do it. The real test is not whether lawmakers can resist pressure from the top. It is whether voters reward independence or bury it. South Carolina’s five dissenters just bet their careers in the Palmetto State.
Kudos to those GOP senators who dug deep and found their moral core.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”