Candidates react to Supreme Court upholding South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District map

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Republican candidates applauded a Thursday decision by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) that upheld South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District map, while Democrats vowed to press on despite their disappointment.

In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, the Court said the Republican-controlled state legislature did nothing wrong during redistricting when it strengthened Rep. Nancy Mace’s hold on the coastal district by moving 30,000 Democratic-leaning Black residents of Charleston out of the district.

It reverses a lower-court ruling that found the state used race as a proxy for partisan affiliation in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and ordered the maps redrawn.

Thursday’s SCOTUS decision preserves the district currently held by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), bolstering its GOP lean ahead of the 2024 elections.

Mace flipped the SC-01 seat after defeating Democrat Joe Cunningham in 2020. Following that year’s U.S. Census, the GOP-dominated state legislature redrew district lines to make the seat safer for Republicans.

“The decision to sort of say that this particular district is not gerrymandered in any kind of illegal way and can stay is good news for whoever wins the Republican primary whether it’s [Bill] Young, [Catherine] Templeton, or Mace,” said Gibbs Knotts, a professor of political science.

Mace praised the decision in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the opinion was published.

“Today the Supreme Court affirmed what everyone in the state of South Carolina already knew: redistricting was not racially motivated and served in the best interest of constituencies of South Carolina,” Mace wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Templeton, who is challenging Mace for the GOP nomination, said “the highest court in the land has spoken” before taking a jab at her opponent.

“Lowcountry Conservatives do not have to compromise their values with a representative who votes 45% of the time with AOC and the Squad,” she wrote on X. “We can elect a consistent conservative who gets serious results.”

And while the Court’s decision is good news for conservatives, it’s a serious blow to Democrats as they try to alter the balance of power in the U.S. House where Republicans hold a slim majority.

“The best chance for Democrats was to have the seat overturned and they have to redraw and make it a little more competitive,” he said. “It’s probably going to be really difficult for a Democrat to win.” 

Mac Deford, one of two Democrats running to unseat Mace, said that while he is “deeply disappointed” in the decision, he is not giving up.

“We are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, which we believe fails to protect the fundamental rights of African American voters in our state,” Deford said in a statement. “However, our campaign has been prepared for this outcome, and we remain confident that we will flip this district. We are not discouraged by this decision as it relates to beating Nancy Mace or any other Republican candidate.”

Mace’s other Democratic challenger, Michael B. Moore, said he would accept SCOTUS’ ruling and expressed confidence in his chances to win in November “no matter the playing field.”

“As I’ve said repeatedly throughout this campaign, I respect the rule of law and the results of our justice system. I intend to honor the court’s ruling and will continue to work hard to earn the support of voters throughout the Lowcountry,” Moore said in a statement. “Regardless of the congressional map, this race is all about connecting with folks in South Carolina’s coastal communities — and offering them an honest, commonsense alternative to Nancy Mace’s attention-seeking antics and political extremism. Every single day on the trail, our campaign is sharing a hopeful vision for the future of South Carolina that resonates across district lines.”

South Carolina’s primaries will be held on June 11.

The Associated Press contributed.