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.