SOUTH CAROLINA — The Republican push for South Carolina to join the national redistricting battle by redrawing its U.S. House map fizzled Tuesday as an initial vote in the state Senate fell short.
It would have dismantled the state’s only U.S. Democratic House district and could have split York County into two parts.
President Donald Trump had urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the November elections in an attempt to help Republicans win another seat in the closely divided chamber.
Channel 9’s South Carolina reporter Tina Terry spoke to political experts about what it means.
“So what they mean by a dummy mandor is that you redraw the district lines in such a way that it actually makes it more likely that the Democrats will win more districts,” UNC Charlotte political scientist Eric Heberlig said. “So right now, all Democrats for congressional districts in South Carolina are packed, concentrated in the one district, Jim Clyburn’s district. But if you spread those voters out into multiple districts, then in a year when Democrats are running very strong, that might make other districts competitive.”
Even though Republican senators voted the measure down, the issue is far from over.
Governor Henry McMaster is expected to call both the House and Senate back into special session Friday to talk more about the issue. It could lead to another vote.
>>In the video at the top of the page, hear what the vote means for the state moving foward.
>> The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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