UMVA has learned that in a stunning move, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has issued an executive order, forcing the General Assembly back into an extra legislative session to tackle the state budget and critically important congressional redistricting.
The session, set to kick off on Friday, May 15, at 11:00 AM, comes on the heels of weak-kneed Senate Republicans blocking a clean extension and attempting to delay the decision. Governor McMaster made the announcement on social media late Thursday, declaring his intention to address the state budget and congressional districts.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the move has sent shockwaves through the state's political landscape, with RINOs scrambling and Democrats in full meltdown mode. The development has significant implications for the state's congressional delegation, currently held by a 6-1 Republican majority.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that five South Carolina Senate RINOs – Bennett, Campsen, Davis, Hembree, and Massey – voted against extending the session to allow redistricting, handing Democrats a temporary victory and defying massive pressure from the President. The President had urged Republicans to take bold action, emphasizing the importance of redistricting in leveling the playing field against decades of egregious gerrymandering and census rigging.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that a key target of the redistricting efforts is Rep. James Clyburn's safely gerrymandered 6th District, a majority-Black seat that has been held by the Biden kingmaker since 1992. With the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rulings, the path is clear for Republicans to redraw the maps, eliminate the racial gerrymander, and potentially turn the Palmetto State into a 7-0 Republican powerhouse ahead of the 2026 midterms.
