How White House outreach led SC to look at middecade congressional redraw
President Donald Trump’s desire to stave off, or at least minimize, midterm election losses this year, led the White House to reach out to South Carolina legislative leaders about taking up a middecade redistricting effort.
Some Republicans in the state, including Gov. Henry McMaster and GOP caucus leaders, have for months been skeptical of redrawing South Carolina’s congressional maps.
Republicans hold six of the state’s seven congressional seats.
Trump himself spoke to Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey twice, including once Tuesday when McMaster told reporters it’s up to the General Assembly to decide whether they want to redraw the state’s congressional map. For Republicans, the goal is to create a congressional map favoring GOP candidates in every district.
Massey said he wasn’t pressured during the good conversation with the president, which lasted less than 10 minutes.
“He clearly expressed his desire that we take a look at the maps now, especially in light of the Louisiana Supreme Court opinion,” Massey said.
“I told him I will listen to whatever you want to share with me. I will look at whatever you want me to look at. But I’m probably not going to be supportive of this effort,” Massey added.
Massey has been against taking up a middecade redraw for a number of reasons, including fear that the partisan split could go to 5-2 instead of 7-0.
The party that controls the White House traditionally loses seats in the midterm elections. Trump initially called on Texas to redraw its districts ahead of this year’s elections to make the map more favorable to Republicans and to stave off losses. But that set off redistricting battles across the country in Democratic controlled states such as California and Virginia.
“I don’t want to go through an effort like this, and you end up in the same spot. I certainly don’t want to be in a worse position,” Massey told reporters.
To even open a path to redraw maps, two-thirds of representatives in the House and Senate will have to support amending the sine die agreement. Both the state House and Senate have Republican supermajorities. Massey said he didn’t know whether Trump’s calls built any additional support in the Senate’s Republican caucus.
“We didn’t have an opportunity to talk about it afterward,” Massey said. “And I really don’t have a good feeling.”
Members of the White House also reached out to GOP leadership in the state House about taking up redistricting. The chamber plans to vote on amending a proposed sine die agreement to allow lawmakers to take up congressional redistricting after the legislative session for year formally ends May 14.
However, House Speaker Murrell Smith said he has not spoken directly to the president about the issue.
“The White House asked us to take a look at it,” House Majority Leaders Davey Hiott said Tuesday. “The speaker has been in communication with (them) quite a bit, and they just asked us take a look at it. They didn’t strong arm us or anything, just said, ’please take a look at it.’ That’s what we’re doing.”
Republican lawmakers who want to keep their seats in this year’s elections have to consider the implications of the upcoming primaries.
Trump endorsed challengers against seven Republican Indiana state senators who voted against a redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State.
In that state’s Tuesday primaries, five of those state senators lost their primary elections. One state senator is in a close election that yet to be called. One state senator was able to hold off a primary challenger.
State senators in South Carolina don’t have that immediate consideration this year. They aren’t up for reelection.
McMaster’s office also said the governor was in contact with the White House during the past week about a variety of issues.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 9:45 AM.
