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by WILL FOLKS
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In a stunning rebuke of U.S. president Donald Trump, the GOP-controlled South Carolina Senate refused to even consider changing the Palmetto State’s congressional boundaries – rejecting a resolution that would have allowed them to take the issue up ahead of the 2026 partisan primary elections.
Passage of this procedural resolution would have been a critical first step in adopting new congressional districts championed by the White House, which is hoping to pad its razor-thin majority in the U.S. House.
Led by S.C. Senate majority leader Shane Massey, a bloc of centrist Republicans voted with Democrats to reject an amendment that would have permitted them to take up the issue after their adjournment this Thursday.
The final vote against the amendment was 29–17.
Last week, the S.C. House amended its adjournment resolution to permit discussion of “bills and joint resolutions affecting redistricting for the seven seats of the U.S. House of Representatives… and any other related matters including, but not limited to, the 2026 election calendar.”
The Senate needed 31 votes to adopt that same language… but it came up two votes short. In addition to Massey, GOP senators Sean Bennett, Chip Campsen, Tom Davis and Greg Hembree voted against the resolution.
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Trump has been aggressively pushing GOP-controlled states to redraw their political maps ahead of the next decennial census – which is when states typically reconfigure their congressional borders based on the latest population data. Multiple states have responded to his call – but not South Carolina. In fact, GOP leaders – and Palmetto State governor Henry McMaster – have stonewalled Trump for months on this issue.
On the eve of the vote, Trump urged the Senate to be “bold and courageous” in adopting the resolution.
They declined… now it’s up to McMaster to call a special session of the legislature if Trump’s redistricting proposal is to have a shot at passage.
Massey made numerous points in leading the resistance to Trump, arguing first and foremost that the map proposed by the White House would at best preserve the Palmetto State’s current 6–1 Republican edge (and perhaps even lead to a 5–2 split of the state’s congressional delegation).
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Trump backers insist their map would lead to a 7–0 Republican sweep of the state’s congressional delegation – but recent polling data disputes that contention.
The GOP leader also noted something we’ve been pointing out for weeks – that the S.C. Election Commission (SCVotes) has already mailed more than 8,000 absentee ballots based on the current district lines (and received hundreds of those ballots back).
“We have active duty military who are serving around the world who have already submitted their ballots,” Massey said. “The effect of this is to discard those ballots.”
Massey also argued that the proposed boundaries would erode the Palmetto State’s historical influence in Washington, D.C.
“This map diminishes that influence,” Massey said.
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In addition to the practical considerations, Massey waxed philosophical during his remarks opposing Trump’s map.
“This is a perfect example of how elected officials have lost their way,” Massey said. “Too many people in power will do whatever it takes to stay in power.”
He also invoked states’ rights – namely the rightful authority of South Carolina’s elected representatives to draw maps, not politicians in Washington, D.C.
“I cannot in good conscience surrender that authority,” Massey said. “I have too much southern blood in me to surrender.”
“I’ve got too much resistance in my heritage,” he later added.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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