President Donald Trump’s campaign to help Republicans secure stronger electoral advantages ahead of the November midterm elections suffered two significant setbacks on Tuesday in South Carolina and Alabama.
In South Carolina, Republican lawmakers failed to advance a proposed congressional map that would have reshaped the district held by Democratic Congressman James Clyburn. The plan collapsed after several Republican state senators broke ranks and joined Democrats to block the measure.
The proposed map aimed to dismantle Clyburn’s district and improve Republican chances of winning all seven U.S. House seats in the state. Clyburn, 85, has represented the district for more than 30 years and remains one of the most influential Black Democrats in Congress.
The vote marked the second failed attempt to move the map through the state Senate. Earlier this month, five Republican senators sided with Democrats to stop the proposal during the chamber’s regular session.
Republican Governor Henry McMaster had previously resisted pressure from the White House to reconvene lawmakers. However, he later called a special session after the Republican-controlled House approved the map last week.
Some Republican senators argued that changing district boundaries after early voting had already begun could create legal problems. Early voting for party primaries started Tuesday across South Carolina.
State Senator Richard Cash said there was no historical example of lawmakers changing election dates and redrawing districts after voting had already started. He noted that tens of thousands of ballots had already been cast by midday.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a three-judge federal panel blocked a Republican-backed congressional map that would have reduced the number of districts with large Black populations from two to one.
The judges ruled that Alabama lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Black voters when drawing the map. The court ordered the state to continue using a map that preserves two districts with significant Black populations for the 2026 elections.
Republican officials in Alabama immediately announced plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The disputed Alabama district currently has a population that is nearly 50% Black, while white residents make up around 40%. The district is represented by Congressman Shomari Figures, who is Black.
The same federal panel had already ruled against the map in 2023. Although the Supreme Court recently asked the judges to reconsider the case after a ruling that weakened protections for minority voting districts, the panel reached the same conclusion.
In their decision, the judges stated that Alabama voters should not be forced to participate in elections under a district map “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.”
The broader battle over redistricting has intensified across the South after the Supreme Court’s April decision made it more difficult to challenge electoral maps based on racial discrimination claims.
At Trump’s urging, Republican-led states have moved quickly to redraw congressional districts in ways that could strengthen the party’s narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Tennessee has already approved a new map that split up a majority-Black Democratic district in Memphis. Louisiana lawmakers are also considering a proposal that would eliminate one of the state’s two districts with large Black populations.
Democrats and civil rights organizations have accused Republicans of targeting minority voters to gain political advantage. Republican supporters of the new maps insist their focus is on improving the party’s electoral position rather than race.
Despite Republican momentum in redistricting battles, Democrats hope dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the Iran war and rising gasoline prices could improve their chances in the midterm elections.
