Gerrymandering

South Carolina Governor May Call Special Session to Redraw Maps

Is McMaster following the will of his party and voters or caving to political pressure?

Published 13 hours ago

South Carolina Governor May Call Special Session to Redraw Maps

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Above: State lawmakers sit beneath a proposed redistricting map in Columbia, S.C., on May 8. Image credit: Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

After a handful of fake Republicans stabbed their own party in the back, McMaster is prepared to step in, take action and draw a proper map. This was nonsense from the beginning, as 29 senators backed it but were held hostage by a procedural two-thirds threshold and five cowardly senators. Racial gerrymandering is illegal, and South Carolina is ready to eliminate it, fight for its voters and set an example for the rest of the country.

Nick Sortor on X Townhall

Eric Daugherty on X

Anti-Trump narrative

Those five brave Republicans were right to block a rushed redistricting push, but unfortunately, their governor, who previously refused to draw Trump's preferred map, has nonetheless caved to the pressure. Redrawing maps just 14 days before early voting starts — with thousands of absentee ballots already sent out — would have thrown elections into chaos and cost taxpayers $2.5 million. The current map is already 6-1 Republican, and tinkering with it risked making things worse, not better.

Democracy Docket Guardian The New Republic

Narrative C

The dissenting Republicans' decision was right, as abruptly messing with the state's already-strong 6-1 majority would be a gamble. Early voting was just days away, thousands of absentee ballots had already gone out, and election officials warned the compressed timeline could create chaos and cost taxpayers millions. Even top Republicans warned the new map might backfire and turn 6-1 into 5-2 or worse. Smart conservatives protect a winning position instead of risking it for a last-minute political stunt.

SC Daily Gazette The State