South Carolina state senators voted Tuesday against advancing a new congressional map, halting a 
Donald Trump-backed redistricting push that would have eliminated the state's only majority-Black congressional district. The defeat came less than six months before the midterms and amid a national back-and-forth over GOP-led map redraws, BBC US Canada reported.
What was in the plan? The proposed redraw targeted South Carolina's lone majority-Black district as part of a broader Republican mid-decade redistricting strategy aligned with Trump's pressure on GOP-controlled states, PBS NewsHour reported. The same day, a federal court in Alabama temporarily blocked a parallel plan that would have eliminated one of that state's two majority-Black districts, per PBS's news wrap.
Why did Republicans break ranks? "I can no longer support the passage of this bill for one simple reason: South Carolina citizens" — that was the line from one state senator turning against the plan, The Hill reported, in remarks that became the procedural turning point of the floor debate. State Republicans had warned the redistricting effort would face Voting Rights Act challenges that the state was unlikely to win in court given the protected-class status of the targeted district.
How does this land for Trump? The defeat lands the same week Trump secured a marquee primary scalp in Texas — a split signal on his grip over the GOP. The vote was Republicans openly "defying" the president, the BBC reported in framing the result as the cleanest such intraparty break since the Iran-deal hawks went public earlier this month. State GOP leaders are now signalling they expect Trump to lean on them again before adjournment, The Hill reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
