South Carolina lawmakers approve option to consider redrawing congressional districts

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina House lawmakers voted Wednesday to begin the process of potentially redrawing the state’s congressional map.

The House approved an end-of-session resolution by an 87-25 vote, allowing lawmakers to return to the Statehouse after May 14 to consider new congressional district boundaries. The state currently has seven U.S. House districts.

The push comes after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving a Louisiana congressional district and amid renewed pressure at the national level for Republican-led states to revisit their maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has urged red states to redraw congressional lines before the midterms and personally contacted at least one South Carolina state senator in recent days, according to lawmakers. House leaders said the president did not reach out directly to them.

House Republican leaders said a redistricting bill is expected to be introduced Thursday, with the first public hearing scheduled for Friday morning.

Rep. Brandon Newton, a Republican from Lancaster County, said the resolution is intended to give lawmakers the flexibility to review existing maps without committing to changes.

“Nothing’s off the table,” Newton said. “We could get into the process and not find a map that’s better. We could decide the current map is appropriate. But we needed to make sure we at least did the process and not just do nothing with the court ruling.”

South Carolina last redrew its congressional lines following the 2020 census.

The resolution now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate, where leaders have indicated the vote could be significantly closer than in the House. It remains unclear whether the Senate will take up the measure this week or wait until next week, which is the final week of the regular legislative session.

If approved, lawmakers could return later this month to debate whether changes to the congressional map are necessary — or ultimately decide to leave the current districts in place.

Democrats had raised concerns during a committee hearing, questioning why Republican leaders are considering redistricting in the final days of the legislative session while other major policy issues remain unresolved.

“We don’t take the time to work on real policies, and when daddy Trump calls, we jump,” said Rep. Spencer Wetmore, a Charleston Democrat, criticizing the timing of the proposal.

Candidates running for Congress have also voiced concern that redistricting could shift district boundaries mid-campaign, potentially forcing them to run in unfamiliar territory or against different opponents.

“I feel a little compassion for those people out there,” said Rep. Jackie Hayes, a Dillon Democrat. “Ballots are being printed, signs are up, and all of a sudden they may not be in the district they signed up to run in.”

Republican leaders say the resolution is about preserving flexibility, not guaranteeing new maps.

“If our maps, based on recent decisions, are not constitutional or violate those principles, then we should address that,” said Rep. Brandon Newton, a Lancaster Republican. “This gives us the ability to do that.”

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