Henry McMaster pushes new congressional map after Trump pressure

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has called a special legislative session in South Carolina to address congressional redistricting ahead of the US midterm elections.

The Republican governor announced on Thursday that lawmakers would return on Friday morning to debate new district maps, including a proposal expected to remove the state’s only majority-minority congressional district currently represented by Democrat James Clyburn.

“I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts,” McMaster wrote on X.

The move comes after Republican senators earlier rejected an effort to extend the current legislative session to consider the maps, despite pressure from President Donald Trump.

Trump urged South Carolina Republicans to move quickly on redistricting earlier this week, posting: “South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS.”

The debate follows a recent US Supreme Court ruling that weakened protections against racial gerrymandering under the Voting Rights Act.

In the upcoming special session, lawmakers will only need a simple majority vote to approve a new congressional map.