Staff Reports
Republicans in South Carolina are fighting tooth and nail to keep the current congressional map in place for the upcoming November election. Why, you ask? Well, it’s because the Supreme Court hasn’t made up its mind yet about the appeal on the decision to strike down the maps. The state lawmakers are basically saying, “Hey, we need to use this map for the 2024 election, and we can’t wait around for the Supreme Court to take its sweet time deciding.”
So, what’s all the fuss about this map anyway? Well, the map was put in place in 2021 for the 2022 elections, and it made some changes to the 1st Congressional District to make it more friendly to the Republicans. They wanted to give Rep. Nancy Mace a boost in her re-election chances. But, wouldn’t you know it, the opposition cried foul, claiming it was a racial gerrymander. And wouldn’t you know it again, the district court actually agreed with them!
But here’s the kicker: the Supreme Court hasn’t come to a decision yet, and time is ticking! The state lawmakers are saying there’s just no way they can come up with a new map in time for the 2024 election cycle, especially with all the important deadlines coming up. They’ve even gone as far as to say, “We need an answer by March 14, pronto!” They’re not making friends by the minute, that’s for sure.
Now, the Supreme Court seemed pretty open to the GOP’s argument that the map wasn’t a racial gerrymander and that it followed the state constitution. They even asked the court to hurry up and give them an answer by January 1 so they could make any necessary changes. But here we are, still waiting for the high court to make a move.
If the Supreme Court ends up giving the boot to South Carolina’s congressional map, it could mean trouble for Rep. Mace in the general election. And that’s something the Republicans are definitely not looking forward to. So, the battle rages on, and we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out!
