The State House Gavel: Senate denies White House push to redraw SC congressional map
The South Carolina Senate failed on Tuesday to reach the necessary two-thirds vote to agree with House changes made to the sine die resolution that would have allowed lawmakers to take up congressional redistricting after session ends Thursday.
That means the effort pushed by White House allies and President Donald Trump is nearly dead for the year amid the rushed redistricting debate with one more day left on the calendar.
The dramatic 29-17 vote — five Republican senators joined the 12 Democrats — came after hours of passionate floor speeches, including from one of the top Republicans in the upper chamber.
The vote was a rare rebuke from a southern state as others have acquiesced to pressure from Trump to help shore up Republican seats in Congress.
"My conscience is clear on this one," Massey told his colleagues Tuesday, noting the choice to oppose the mid-decade redistricting effort wasn't "hard" for him.
