MORNING HEADLINES | An openly partisan attempt to gerrymander longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn out of his seat died Tuesday in the S.C. Senate after passing with overwhelming GOP support last week in the House.
At the time of the May 20 House vote, more than 3,000 absentee ballots had already been cast in advance of the state’s June 9 primary — a problem that only deepened when in-person early voting began Tuesday. By the end of Tuesday, more than 44,000 voted early — a single-day record for early primary voting, according to state officials.
Tuesday’s Senate defeat of the congressional remapping effort came 11 days into a special legislative session called by Gov. Henry McMaster at the public urging of President Donald Trump. He has called on Republican-controlled states to aggressively redistrict their congressional lines heading into this November’s midterms.
In a floor speech just prior to the House vote, GOP S.C. Rep. Luke S. Rankin of Laurens, the bill’s primary sponsor, left no room for doubt about why supporters wanted to cancel the state’s June 9 congressional primaries and reschedule them under new lines later this summer.
“President Trump decisively won in South Carolina not once, not twice, but three times and Republicans have dominated statewide elections for many years,” Rankin told his colleagues. “So it’s completely reasonable for the people that elected us here to expect that we send a full 7-0 Republican congressional delegation to Washington, D.C.”
But with five GOP senators, including Majority Leader Shane Massey, opposed to the bill, it was clear from the moment it crossed from the House on May 21 that it was going to face a harder road in the upper chamber.
Put simply, given the Senate’s deliberative-by-design pace, the only way the bill could pass before in-person early voting began Tuesday — a practical deadline many GOP supporters accepted — was with rule changes requiring a two-thirds majority vote. And without those five senators, Republicans simply didn’t have the votes.
As a result, when senators returned at 11 a.m. Tuesday amid pictures of early voting locations with lines around the block, a bipartisan majority was prepared to throw in the towel, voting 26-18 to move the bill to next year’s legislative agenda. Two members — Sen. Tom Fernandez, R-Dorchester, and Sen. Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg — did not vote due to excused absences.
At noon, shortly before the vote, senators learned from state election officials that more than 26,000 South Carolinians had already voted — a single-day record for the state.
“Massey warned them they were at risk of energizing independent and Black voters,” S.C. Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, told the Charleston City City Paper after the vote. “And by God, that’s exactly what they did.”
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Massey elaborated on that concern.
“What we’ve seen today, with the early voting turnout, is that we’ve made some people mad,” Massey said, noting that it could hurt GOP candidates in the fall. “Just having this debate upset a lot of South Carolinians, because they think we’re cheating.”
Barring another governor-called special session, the legislature is now in recess until it returns to complete work on the state budget next month. —Jack O’Toole
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In recent headlines
NATIONAL: Americans don’t like either political party, poll finds. Americans rate them unfavorably, say they’re “out of touch” and disapprove of their leaders. Record numbers avoid associating with them at all.
South Carolinians break single-day turnout record for early primary voting. More than 44,000 people had voted early as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to the South Carolina Election Commission. The figure is a new state record for turnout on a single day of early primary voting. The previous single-day state high was 23,000 votes in 2024.
Free CARTA, TriCounty Link rides offered for adults 55+. The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) and TriCounty Link are offering complimentary rides for riders 55 and older on all fixed-route services today.
New musical explores history of Charleston’s Jewish community. A piece of Charleston’s Jewish history is the focus of upcoming musical “Happyland,” which will fittingly take place inside the sanctuary of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue.
Explore the Holy City’s food scene with new ‘City Eats: Charleston.’ The culinary TV franchise “City Eats” is expanding to Charleston with a series focusing on the flavors and history of the Lowcountry food scene. It will premiere in June on aspireTV — a network that reflects and celebrates Black culture, style and life.
Mount Pleasant residents fly planes from their backyards. Raven’s Run is home to more than 80 private airports where those with special clearance can take off and land at their leisure from the convenience of their backyard.
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