South Carolina Republicans are considering new congressional district lines that could put at risk the seat held by Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone Democratic member of the U.S. House delegation. The effort follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts, and Clyburn says he plans to run no matter how the lines are drawn.
South Carolina has become the latest Southern state where Republicans are exploring mid-decade congressional redistricting after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal protections for minority districts.
At the State Capitol in Columbia, Republican lawmakers are debating proposed maps that could give the GOP a clean sweep of all seven of South Carolina’s U.S. House seats, including by redrawing the district represented by Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat serving his 17th term.
Clyburn, a nationally prominent figure in Democratic politics, told NPR he intends to stay in the race regardless of how the district lines are finalized.
“I don’t care where the lines are drawn. I’m going to run,” Clyburn said.
During public testimony on the proposals, Republican activist Chad Caton framed the push in openly partisan terms.
“Here in South Carolina, we have a supermajority as Republicans. And sometimes, when you win the game, you get to spike the football,” Caton told senators.
Some Republicans have also voiced reservations about targeting Clyburn’s district, arguing the move could carry political risks for the party, even as the broader push reflects pressure within GOP politics to maximize Republican representation in Congress.
