Harpootlian’s seat on chopping block, as Senate readies to debate SC redistricting plan
A redistricting proposal that puts a prominent Richland County senator’s district on the chopping block heads to the Senate floor Monday after being adopted in committee.
The South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday adopted with minor amendments a voting map that excises Sen. Dick Harpootlian’s district from Richland and Lexington counties and plops it down in Charleston.
District 20’s move to the Lowcountry is necessary to account for growth in Charleston County, which has seen its population increase at twice the rate as Richland County over the past decade, according to the 2020 census.
The relocation of Harpootlian’s district creates three wholly contained districts in Richland County — one more than the present map — and puts him on course to face a potentially tough primary against former Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, in 2024.
“It’s the right thing to do, whether or not I get reelected,” Harpootlian said previously of giving up his district.
The Senate redistricting proposal, which likely will be read across the desk Monday but not debated until Tuesday, received high marks from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of South Carolina and generally is considered an improvement over the current map.
The plan, which does not appear likely to immediately shift the current 30-16 Republican advantage in the Senate, splits 27 counties and five voting districts compared to 35 county splits and 156 voting precinct splits in the current map.
The counties of Abbeville, Allendale, Darlington, Dillon, Greenwood, Hampton, Marlboro and McCormick, which currently are split between multiple districts, are wholly contained in a single district in the Senate’s proposed map.
The Senate plan, which was amended last week to swap more than a dozen individual voting precincts between neighboring districts in the Lowcountry, Midlands and Upstate, was further modified Monday.
The additional comprehensive amendment, which the Judiciary Committee approved unanimously, is not expected to make major changes to the map. It affects Districts 4, 10, 18, 23 and 25, and involves slight precinct shifts agreed to by all members involved, Senate cartographer Will Roberts said.
Key features of new Senate map
While South Carolina has added almost 500,000 people since 2010 — a nearly 10.7% growth rate that pushed the state’s total population beyond 5.1 million — that growth has been uneven.
To account for explosive growth in parts of the state and considerable population loss in others, the Senate redistricting committee made sweeping changes to the current map to ensure all districts had a population of roughly 111,270.
Districts in high growth areas, such as the Greenville-Spartanburg area, the southern suburbs of Charlotte and along the coast, shrunk geographically, while districts in rural areas where growth slowed or even dropped expanded geographically.
As a result, districts in the heart of Horry County, the fastest-growing part of the state, gave up ground to the rural surrounding districts. Dillon, Marion, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties in turn will expand further into Horry to pick up population.
Charleston County, which grew by 17% since 2010, added Harpootlian’s District 20 to balance that tremendous growth. The relocated district, which encompasses James Island and West Ashley, will remain a Democrat-leaning district.
Meanwhile, District 41, a competitive district that currently includes those Charleston County communities, will extend northwest into upper Colleton County and take on a more rural, Republican character.
The western Midlands area, where population growth was sluggish, was especially challenging to draw, Roberts said.
The low population in the area resulted in major changes to District 10, which currently covers parts of Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick and Saluda counties. Under the Senate proposal, District 10 would no longer include Abbeville or McCormick counties, and instead would range from Greenwood through Saluda and into Lexington County to pick up population south of Lake Murray.
McCormick County would slide entirely into Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey’s District 25 under the proposal, while all of Abbeville County would slot into District 4, represented by Sen. Michael Gambrell, R-Anderson.
Setzler’s District 26, which has been called the most gerrymandered district in the state, would become more compact following the redraw by pulling out of Aiken and western Lexington counties.
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 11:01 AM.