Push for South Carolina to join congressional redistricting battle fails as Republicans reject map
PBS NewsHour – Politics — 2026-05-12 15:59:00 — www.pbs.org
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.
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. The state House had voted in favor of letting lawmakers return after the regular session ends this week to consider redistricting, and had proposed a new map that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held seat. However, the Senate had to give permission to take up redistricting as well. The 29-17 vote failed, falling just two votes short of the two-thirds needed. Five Republicans joined all the Democrats in the chamber to reject the proposal.
How this sits against verifiable accuracy
The excerpt indicates that President Trump urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts to assist Republicans in gaining an additional seat in the U.S. House. The failure of the Senate vote, which was necessary for the redistricting effort, is also noted.