South Carolina Gov. McMaster to Call Special Session on Congressional Map Redraw

South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster plans to call a special session of the state legislature Thursday afternoon to redraw the congressional map, two state sources familiar with the planning said.

Republicans aim to keep their U.S. House majority as leaders in both parties across the country redraw maps to gain more seats.

McMaster will issue the call after the legislature adjourns Thursday afternoon, the sources said.

GOP holdouts in the South Carolina Senate blocked a procedural step on redistricting Tuesday. But a bill with a new map would need only a simple majority in a special session.

State Sen. Tom Davis, a Republican who opposed Tuesday's measure, said he will keep fighting a congressional line redraw.

"South Carolina's maps are legally sound, our electoral position is strong, and the process being proposed remains constitutionally and practically indefensible," Davis said in a Wednesday email.

Primaries are set for June 9, though a separate bill would shift them to August.

Republicans expect to approve a map that changes powerful Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn's district and boosts GOP chances in all seven state districts.

"I urge the General Assembly to finish its work according to the U.S. and South Carolina constitutions and the best interests of the people," McMaster said after Tuesday's vote.

Southern states rushed to redistrict despite upcoming primaries after the Supreme Court last month limited the Voting Rights Act. The court ruled Louisiana's 2021 congressional map relied too much on race to meet Section 2 requirements.

The decision came days before early voting in Louisiana, where 45,000 ballots were already returned. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry canceled House primaries and called a special session for a new map.

Louisiana's Senate advanced a map Wednesday that would give Republicans five of six seats. It heads to the full Senate next, though one affected Democratic representative pledged to resist.

Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey this week moved primaries in the 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts. A Supreme Court order stopped a prior court ruling that had required two majority Black districts through 2030. The primaries were set for May 19.