House approves redistricting plans, Dems plan to sue (South Carolina)

Plan going to Senate soon creates state’s seventh congressional district centered in Horry County

The state House of Representatives signed off on a plan Tuesday to redraw its legislative lines and create a seventh congressional district, centered in Horry County and running along the North Carolina border.

But some are disappointed with the plan, including the state Democratic Party, whose chairman plans to sue.

• Creates two new S.C. House districts in Georgetown and Richland counties that are “majority minority,” meaning the majority of voters in the districts are racial minorities. In the Midlands, the plan affects Rep. Mia Butler Garrick, D-Richland, whose District 79 currently is made up of Northeast Richland County and a slice of Kershaw County. The plan approved places all of Butler’s district in Richland County. An amendment to retain more white voters in the district, proposed by Garrick, was voted down Tuesday.

• Eliminates one majority minority district in Charleston County — represented by Rep. Robert Brown, a Democrat — because it has lost African-American population. Under the new plan approved by the House, the state would have 30 majority minority districts, instead of the current 29.

• Merges districts with shrinking population in Laurens, Greenville, Pickens, Anderson, Colleton and Jasper counties.

• Creates four new districts in the growing counties of Beaufort, York, Horry and Berkeley.

“We did our best to keep cities, towns and counties whole and be fair to all House members,” said Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, who oversaw the House’s efforts to redraw the district lines — a task that must be performed every 10 years using the latest census data reflecting how the state’s population has shifted.

The House plan draws eight legislators into four districts, pitting them against each other in primaries next year. The eight are four Democrats and four Republicans.

“This plan is fair,” said Rep. Harry Ott, D-Calhoun, the House’s minority leader. “It’s not perfect, and we’ve got a few Democrats who find themselves in collapsed districts. But there’s an equal number of Republicans who find themselves in the same situation.”

One of those Democrats is Rep. Denny Neilson of Darlington County, the House’s longest-serving member. Under the new plan, Neilson would have to run against her fellow incumbent and Democrat, Rep. Robert Williams.

“No one wants to run against an incumbent. Plus, Robert is my friend,” said Neilson, who has been in the House since 1984 and plans to seek reelection. “But the Pee Dee has lost population. It’s part of the process. I understand.”

Dick Harpootlian, chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party, said the party or a group of Democrats will challenge the proposed new maps in court, contending they create too many majority minority districts.

The gist of the lawsuit, he said, would be to encourage the U.S. Justice Department to approve a S.C. plan that moves African-American voters out of majority-black districts to other districts, giving them more sway over who is elected.

Democrats long have contended that Republicans try to put as many reliably Democratic, minority voters as possible in districts, seeking to ensure that other districts are overwhelmingly white and more likely to elect a Republican. Districts with a mix of races are more likely to elect a Democrat, Democrats contend.

“The Republicans are conducting a concerted effort to re-segregate our state,” Harpootlian said, contending majority minority districts are a dated notion no longer needed. “It was a remedial measure that was very much needed because, back then, white people wouldn’t vote for black people. That’s not the case anymore.”

Off topic question. I continue to be surprised that the SC GOP is letting Clyburn off the hook so easily on the Boeing/NLRB case. They should be demanding every day that he, as the THIRD leading Dem in the House, intervene with Obama to save the thousands of new SC jobs that are at risk. I know you can't defeat him in 2012, but make him miserable and make him sweat. He was there at the groundbreaking of the plant..I saw the video clip..so maybe they should have an event and "take away" his silver spade..

Force him to make some statements..don't let him keep on ducking the question. Picket his local offices..heck..borrow a page from SEIU..hav several hundred of those who could lose their jobs peacefully picket his home.It will put more pressure on Dems in other red/purple districts, and some Dem senators..

I assume that somewheres there are stats as to the number of minorities and women that Boeing has hired at the new plant. I'd wager it's at least 35% of the total...so run ads..asking him to save the jobs for minorites and women...

I found the maps and Google Map overlays at the link below:

http://redistricting.schouse.gov/

Sweet! Florence city and almost all of Florence county is in the proposed 7th district.

The proposed 7th district has very clean lines. It includes the following counties:
Chesterfield
Darlington
Dillon
Georgetown
Horry
Marion
and 80% of Florence county.

The south-western corner of Flornce county that includes Lake City, Scranton and Olanta are still in the 6th.

Of course the Democrat party will want to redraw the lines street-by-street and house-by-house.

Meanwhile, up in Maryland, I hear of no plans by the GOP to sue over the superdupergerrymandered Martin O’Malley Congressional redistricting map just passed by the legisl00ture. Not that they shouldn’t sue, but I guess the GOP just isn’t into do-overs the way the Democrats are.

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