South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called a special session Thursday evening for state lawmakers to tackle redistricting ahead of the midterm elections, announcing on X: “I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts.” The session is set to begin on Friday morning. McMaster initially chose not to set a special session but changed course after the Republican-led state Senate rejected a measure to extend its current session to take up a redrawn map, despite pressure from President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social, urging South Carolina Republicans to “BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS” and get redistricting done. McMaster’s executive order was carefully worded, stopping short of directly ordering a specific map or a 7-0 Republican sweep, and instead framing the special session as necessary because the General Assembly’s debate on redistricting had not concluded and required further consideration ahead of the November midterms.
Republicans control the legislature and would need only a simple majority to approve a new map in a special session, a lower bar than the two-thirds supermajority that sank the sine die extension earlier this week. However, significant obstacles remain. The state’s June 9 primary is less than four weeks away, early voting begins in two weeks, hundreds of overseas absentee ballots have already been cast, and Republicans would need to pass a new map before May 26, prompting concerns about potential lawsuits over discarded overseas ballots if primary dates are moved. The session is being called in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which affected how race may be considered in redistricting.
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