Clyburn's district stays intact as South Carolina Republicans scrap redistricting

South Carolina Republicans Decline to Advance New Congressional Map, Leaving Clyburn District Unchanged

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., announces his intent to seek an 18th U.S. House term, during a March 12 event at the South Carolina Democratic Party headquarters in Columbia, S.C.

The majority-Black district held for 34 years by South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn will remain unchanged after Republican state lawmakers declined to advance a proposal to redraw congressional district lines. South Carolina was among Southern states considering map revisions following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that altered enforcement of a section of the Voting Rights Act concerning majority-Black districts.

State senators declined on Tuesday to move forward with the proposed map. Clyburn is the only Democrat in the state's seven-member congressional delegation. Clyburn stated on X that the map proposal reflected external pressure and that a sufficient number of Republican senators chose not to support it. He said the decision upheld the constitutional principles under which the current map was drawn.

Clyburn had stated he would seek reelection regardless of any map changes. State officials indicated that altering district lines would have required delaying House primaries. Clyburn cast an early ballot in Orangeburg on Tuesday, the first day of early voting for the June primary. Republican state Sen. Richard Cash cited the start of voting as a factor against changing lines mid-cycle, stating that neither his conscience nor common sense would allow halting an election already underway.

Claire Wofford, a political science professor at the College of Charleston, said multiple considerations likely contributed to the decision. She described Clyburn's long tenure and role in directing federal funding to the state, his endorsement of Joe Biden before the 2020 South Carolina primary, and his prior service as the third-ranking Democrat in the House. Wofford also noted Clyburn's status as the highest-ranking African American in the legislative or executive branch before Barack Obama.

Wofford said many Republicans view Clyburn as effective in working across party lines. She attributed the attempt to redraw lines in part to national political dynamics within the Republican Party rather than personal opposition to Clyburn. She added that South Carolina has historically shown resistance to external political pressure, referencing the state's early secession from the Union as an example of its independent streak.

Some Republican lawmakers raised concerns that dividing the district could create multiple competitive seats, a configuration sometimes called a "dummymander." Wofford noted that demographic shifts, including changes in Black population percentages in some counties and in-migration of Republican-leaning residents, have altered the electorate in the area. Clyburn has faced prior criticism from some observers for maintaining district boundaries as demographics evolved.

South Carolina's population is more than one-quarter Black. Republican legislative leaders had supported a map that would have given their party all seven seats. During public testimony, local Republican activist Chad Caton described the effort as standard political practice given the party's supermajority in the legislature.

Resident Maya Shells, who has lived in the district throughout her life, testified that district boundaries affect representation and community advocacy. Clyburn has represented the 6th District for 17 terms. In an interview outside the U.S. Capitol, he said he would campaign on his record and policy positions irrespective of boundary changes.

Clyburn, who is 85, decided to seek another term while some contemporaries, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, chose to retire. He referenced his political hero, Robert Smalls, one of the first Black members of Congress elected from South Carolina after the Civil War. Those members left office as Reconstruction ended and subsequent restrictions reduced Black representation. Clyburn wrote a book about the group and became the ninth Black South Carolinian elected to Congress. He noted that Smalls' tenure ended partly due to redistricting and said he would be in comparable company if his own service concluded similarly. Clyburn stated that reaching age 86 would represent a substantial career.

Clyburn is scheduled to host his annual fish fry later this week, an event that has become a recurring feature in state politics.