Georgia, South Carolina edge into gerrymander war

What happened

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Wednesday called a June 17 special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional map for the 2028 elections. The redistricting push follows a rush of GOP-led Southern states moving to eliminate mostly Black Democratic districts this year after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision neutered the Voting Rights Act.

Who said what

South Carolina’s GOP-led Senate voted Tuesday not to follow Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama in changing congressional maps for 2026. But Gov. Henry McMaster (R) told lawmakers that he will call a special session, “teeing up” a “Republican gerrymander that would almost certainly cost Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn his seat” in November, Politico said. Kemp “has ruled out changing the maps for this year’s races,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, but “Republicans are moving to act now while they are certain a GOP governor can sign the new districts into law.”

What next?

After their party’s “miserable two weeks in the redistricting wars,” Politico said, Maryland Democrats are pushing to eliminate the state’s sole Republican seat, “arguing there is still time to wade in for this year’s elections.” Republicans “have won the Great Redistricting War of 2026,” Reuters said, but their potential 12-seat gain “may not be enough” to keep the House.

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