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South Carolina is the latest southern state that may redraw its congressional maps. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a key section of the Voting Rights Act there that protected majority-Black districts. The new district lines could squeeze out an institution in South Carolina and national politics, the 17-term Congressman Jim Clyburn. NPR's Sam Gringlas reports.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: On a sweltering day, I found Jim Clyburn outside the Capitol wearing his trademark quarter-zip sweater under a suit jacket. Clyburn had just finished a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus. He's been a member for more than 30 years. More than a dozen CBC members could see their seats eliminated because of redistricting - none more prominent than Clyburn. But he says he's not going without a fight.
JIM CLYBURN: I don't care where the lines are drawn. I'm going to run. I'm going to run on my record and America's promise.
GRINGLAS: If any Democrat could hold this proposed new district, it would be Clyburn, says College of Charleston political science Professor Claire Wofford.
CLAIRE WOFFORD: It's hard to overstate the significance of Jim Clyburn in the state.
GRINGLAS: Wofford says Clyburn has directed loads of federal dollars to South Carolina. His endorsement resurrected Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 2020. And for years, he served as the number three Democrat in Congress.
WOFFORD: And before Barack Obama came along, he was the highest-ranking African American ever in the United States history in the legislative or executive branch.
GRINGLAS: Over the years, Clyburn has been accused of using that influence with Republicans to keep his seat safe. Even now, some in the GOP fear splitting up his majority-Black seat could result in multiple competitive districts. Wofford says the state's evolving demographics make that less likely.
WOFFORD: On paper, I really don't see the Democrats holding onto that seat.
GRINGLAS: Republicans have also been hesitant to target Clyburn for another reason. They respect him.
WOFFORD: And I think they still do. I mean, I don't think what we're seeing is driven by any, you know, resentment towards Jim Clyburn. I mean, he really put South Carolina on the national map. I think what we're seeing in South Carolina, like we're seeing across the country, is the Trump effect.
GRINGLAS: So at the State Capitol, Republican lawmakers are angling to approve a new map that could give their party all seven congressional seats. During public testimony, GOP activist Chad Caton said, it's just politics.
CHAD CATON: Here in South Carolina, we have a supermajority as Republicans. And sometimes, when you win the game, you get to spike the football.
GRINGLAS: For Maya Shells (ph), redistricting is personal. She told senators she's lived in Clyburn's district her whole life.
MAYA SHELLS: District lines aren't just borders on a map, but they really represent our voice and our ability to advocate for the needs of our community.
GRINGLAS: For 34 years, the 6th District has chosen Clyburn to be that voice, even as his contemporaries retire. So I asked about the possibility his career ends from redistricting.
CLYBURN: You know, my hero in politics is a guy named Robert Smalls.
GRINGLAS: Smalls was among the first eight Black South Carolinians in Congress. They left as reconstruction ended, and Jim Crow restrictions and racial violence reversed gains in representation. It was nearly a hundred years before Clyburn became the ninth Black South Carolinian to serve. He says Smalls was ousted in part by gerrymandering.
CLYBURN: His political life came to an end pretty much the same way. I'll be in pretty good company if that were to happen.
GRINGLAS: Debate on the map is expected to continue this weekend. Next week is Clyburn's famous annual fish fry. Like Clyburn, the event has become a fixture of South Carolina politics, and for now, it is set to go on.
Sam Gringlas, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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