South Carolina Republicans Advance Redistricting That Targets State's Only Democratic U.S. House District

South Carolina state lawmakers voted Wednesday to consider redrawing the state's congressional map, an effort that would target the state's only Democratic-held U.S. House district. A Democratic member of Congress from the state said Republicans should be careful what they pursue.

The lawmaker stated that if the redistricting succeeds there are possibilities of at least three Democrats being elected to Congress from South Carolina. The legislator added that the fight is bigger than one district and concerns whether democracy belongs to the people or to politicians who change the rules when they do not like the results.

The legislator, who has served in Congress for more than 30 years, said the current district is about 45 percent African American. The legislator expressed confidence in winning an 18th term by running on a record and America's promise regardless of how the boundaries are adjusted.

The state legislature's vote came after the Supreme Court ruled last month in a Louisiana case that a state's creation of a second majority-Black district was unconstitutional. The 6-3 decision established stricter criteria for drawing districts based on racial makeup.

This created an opportunity for states to reexamine minority-majority districts originally drawn under the Voting Rights Act. The Democratic member of Congress said the Supreme Court decision threatens to send the country deeper into repeated redistricting fights, legal battles and partisan disputes.

The legislator added that the court appears intent on reversing gains in Black political participation and representation in Southern states.

A state House subcommittee voted 3-2 on Friday to advance legislation that would delay the state's June 9 primary election by two months. The delay would provide additional time for the legislature to approve a new map that would result in a 7-0 Republican advantage in the state's U.S. House delegation.

South Carolina Election Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia told The State that moving the primary would likely confuse voters. Belangia estimated the cost of moving the primary to August at between $2.2 million and $2.5 million. The state has already mailed more than 6,000 absentee ballots to military service members and overseas voters, with more than 200 returned.

House members suggested allocating $2 million in next year's state budget to cover expected litigation costs from legal challenges to the map. The state House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the redistricting effort. The redistricting push is part of a broader series of map revisions by Republican-led states following midterm elections.

It was first suggested weeks ago by a Republican senator from the state in response to map changes in Virginia. A Virginia Supreme Court decision last week overruled that state's new map.