The GOP-led South Carolina Senate on Tuesday voted 26-18 against a proposed congressional map that would have temporarily halted the state’s redistricting effort.

State Senator Richard Cash, a Republican, stated his opposition by saying, “I can no longer support the passage of this bill for one simple reason: South Carolina citizens are going to the polls today. Neither my conscience nor common sense will allow me to stop an election that has already begun.”

The Senate’s decision undermines efforts to secure full control of the state’s seven-member congressional delegation. The vote occurs as President Trump and national Republicans have urged red states to rework their congressional boundaries ahead of November elections.

Earlier this month, South Carolina’s House of Representatives approved new congressional lines following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened part of the Voting Rights Act. This has prompted other states to consider map changes.

South Carolina’s primary elections are scheduled for early June, and the state’s Democratic Party chair previously described recent redistricting discussions as “reckless” amid reports of thousands of absentee ballots being sent out.

White House advisers were reportedly caught off guard by the Senate’s decision. One adviser called it a “betrayal,” noting that they had expected more coordination from Governor Henry McMaster but received updates only from Attorney General Alan Wilson and a few state senators.

South Carolina is not the first Republican-controlled state to oppose Trump’s redistricting agenda. In December, Indiana’s Senate rejected a redrawn congressional map despite heavy White House pressure.

In response to South Carolina’s resistance, President Trump recently endorsed five primary challengers against Republican lawmakers who defied his push for map changes.

All seven members of South Carolina’s state Senate are set for re-election in 2028. A longtime South Carolina Republican operative warned that “these next two years will bring h from the MAGA grassroots wing of the party already skeptical of many of these old guard GOP senators.”

Initially signaling opposition to redrawing the state’s congressional map earlier this month, Republicans under White House and national Republican pressure convened a special session with Governor McMaster to address the issue.