The South Carolina Senate has rejected a last-minute bid to redraw the state's congressional districts ahead of the November US midterm elections. In a 26-18 vote on Tuesday, the Republican-led Senate voted against a measure to advance a new congressional map, ending the mid-decade redistricting effort for now.
The push for redistricting was propelled by Donald Trump, who urged lawmakers to redraw the maps to the GOP's advantage to help the party hold onto the U.S. House. Specifically, the effort sought to split up Congressman Jim Clyburn's district to reduce Democratic voters and potentially flip the seat.
While the proposal passed the South Carolina House on May 20 after two days of debate, state senators remained skeptical. Several Republican senators broke with their party to vote with Democrats, as Republican state senators do not face election this year.
This effort is part of a larger Republican strategy to redraw voting districts to the party's advantage, occurring as judges strike down newly drawn US House districts in Alabama. The Senate adjourned Tuesday without acting on the map that would have redrawn districts in favor of Republicans.