McMaster convenes South Carolina special session on redistricting maps

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a top Trump ally and fellow Republican, announced Thursday that he is convening the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, starting Friday for a special session to “address the state budget and congressional districts” in his largely Republican state.

“I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts beginning Friday, May 15, at 11:00 AM,” McMaster wrote on X. 

The move comes amid intraparty Republican tensions over the Trump-backed effort to redraw the state’s congressional map — a push that could threaten the tenure of Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the man credited with reviving former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and four other senators originally joined Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have allowed the chamber to vote on redistricting after the South Carolina legislative session closed Thursday.

The roadblock came hours after President Donald Trump warned he is “watching closely” the redistricting effort that proponents hope will ultimately rid the state’s congressional delegation of its lone Democrat, while advising lawmakers to move the primary for House members to August.

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Clyburn, the octogenarian Orangeburg, South Carolina, lawmaker considered a kingmaker in Palmetto State Democratic politics — and credited with reviving then-candidate Biden’s floundering campaign with his endorsement in 2020 — may not be long for Capitol Hill, as a redraw would almost certainly redistribute the state’s heavy Republican advantage across its seven districts.