Supreme Court to review South Carolina racial gerrymander claim
NBCAUG 2023
SCOTUS Majority Skeptical of South Carolina Gerrymandering Claim
Image copyright: Sean Rayford/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Charleston had elected a Republican in every election since 1980 until a Democrat was able to capture a slim victory in 2018. How, then, could race not have played a role if Nancy Mace was subsequently able to win by 14 points after 62% of Black voters from the district were removed? The South Carolina GOP knows that African Americans vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party — which is why they chose to rid the district of their voting power.
Republican narrative
The race-based analysis for South Carolina's map is flawed. Redrawing maps based on party affiliation is allowable, so when lawmakers conduct redistricting, they're likely to end up moving large groups of one race or the other. The Democratic Party engages in more than its fair share of this practice as well.
Cynical narrative
Both Democrats and Republicans gerrymander massively, making American democracy far from fair. Election laws should change.