South Carolina’s redistricting debate comes with a senior House member in the crosshairs
South Carolina is weighing whether to redraw its U.S. House districts after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a section of the Voting Rights Act that had protected majority-Black districts, a change that NPR reports could affect the political future of Rep. Jim Clyburn. NPR’s Sam Gringlas reported that Clyburn, a 17-term member who has served more than 30 years, met with the Congressional Black Caucus shortly before attending to the redistricting question that many party members say could eliminate majority-Black representation in the state.
Clyburn told Gringlas that he is not planning to leave the race if his district is changed. “I don’t care where the lines are drawn. I’m going to run. I’m going to run on my record and America’s promise,” Clyburn said in the NPR report.
NPR also quoted Claire Wofford, a political science professor at the College of Charleston, describing the stakes for Clyburn’s standing in state and national politics. Wofford said, “It’s hard to overstate the significance of Jim Clyburn in the state.” She also described Clyburn’s influence as rooted in the flow of federal dollars to South Carolina and in political relationships he cultivated over multiple presidential cycles.
Wofford said Clyburn’s role has included national Democratic leadership responsibilities and that he was, before Barack Obama came along, “the highest-ranking African American ever in the United States history in the legislative or executive branch.” NPR reported that Clyburn has been a fixture in Congress for decades, and that redistricting could test whether that influence endures under new district lines.
NPR said some Republicans fear that reshaping Clyburn’s majority-Black seat could produce multiple competitive districts. Wofford responded that she does not expect the Democrats to keep the seat under current assumptions, saying: “On paper, I really don’t see the Democrats holding onto that seat.” At the same time, she described a reason she believes Republicans may be cautious about targeting Clyburn. “And I think they still do,” Wofford said, referring to Republicans’ respect for Clyburn, and she pointed to broader national dynamics she linked to Donald Trump’s political appeal.
Gringlas reported that South Carolina’s Republican lawmakers are aiming to approve a new map that could give the GOP all seven congressional seats. During public testimony, GOP activist Chad Caton argued that the process is fundamentally political, saying, “Here in South Carolina, we have a supermajority as Republicans. And sometimes, when you win the game, you get to spike the football.”
Other testimony put a personal face on the stakes of district boundaries. NPR reported that Maya Shells told senators she has lived in Clyburn’s district her whole life, and Shells said in the hearing that district lines represent political power, telling lawmakers: “District lines aren’t just borders on a map, but they really represent our voice and our ability to advocate for the needs of our community.”
NPR said that for 34 years, the 6th District has elected Clyburn as its representative, even as other congressional members from his era have retired. Gringlas asked Clyburn about the possibility that redistricting could end his career, and Clyburn responded by invoking a historical parallel: “You know, my hero in politics is a guy named Robert Smalls.” Clyburn said Smalls “was among the first eight Black South Carolinians in Congress” and suggested that Smalls’s political life came to an end in a manner similar to what he fears could happen to him, saying: “I’ll be in pretty good company if that were to happen.”
NPR reported that debate on the map is expected to continue this weekend. It also noted that Clyburn’s annual fish fry, like Clyburn himself, is a fixture of South Carolina politics and, for now, is set to go on as the redistricting fight moves forward.