3rd congressional district would host Palmetto Bowl every year in proposed SC map
Although the home football stadiums for Clemson and the University of South Carolina are a 138-mile drive apart, the proposed congressional map would ensure the annual Palmetto Bowl is always played in the 3rd Congressional District.
The almost unimaginable thought of putting Clemson and USC football stadiums in the same district is one of the potential highlights in a proposed congressional map aimed at electing a Republican in each of the state’s seven congressional districts, up from six.
A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the use of race in Louisiana’s congressional map, has led to mounting pressure for South Carolina’s state lawmakers to enter into the middecade redistricting battles. President Donald Trump has pushed for redistricting efforts in Republican-led states to shore up against potential GOP losses in the upcoming midterm elections. Democratic-led states have attempted to respond in kind.
The current proposed map under consideration by lawmakers splits up some communities of interest, combines other areas that may not fit together and shifts districts around ahead of this year’s elections. But as with any piece of legislation, the map could see tweaks along the way.
“You heard (House Majority Leader) Davey Hyatt and others ... talk about this is a starting point in the process,” said House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton. “There’s been no vote on this map at this point in time. ... Obviously, no amendments that have been offered. But, I mean, I think that’s a fair concern.”
The 3rd District would stretch from Oconee County into downtown Columbia. It would go into the Shandon neighborhood, Rosewood, Gills Creek and the Woodhill strip mall. When mapmakers drew the proposed 3rd District, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs, they almost drew a district that could have offended diehard Tiger and Gamecock fans. The map nearly put Clemson University and the University of South Carolina in the same district. But the USC campus is just on the other side of the district dividing line putting the state’s flagship school in the 2nd District.
However, if this map is adopted, the 3rd District would become the exclusive host of the annual Palmetto Bowl. Both Williams Brice Stadium and Clemson Memorial Stadium would be in the 3rd District.
How the map was drawn received criticism during a Friday committee hearing.
“I know that this monstrosity of a map had to be cooked up by some brainiac name Stephen Miller in Washington, D.C., because what God-fearing South Carolinian would put Clemson and the University of South Carolina in the same district?” said Jaime Harrison, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
For those who enjoy the game day pageantry at Williams Brice Stadium, the Gamecock Walk to the stadium would start in the 2nd District and conclude in the 3rd District as Bluff Road would be a dividing line between the two districts.
The 3rd District also would have the state fair grounds and the governor’s mansion. But the State House would be in the 2nd District. Overall, Richland County would be split into three districts, the 2nd, 3rd and 5th.
The 2nd District, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springdale, also would include Fort Jackson and Shaw Air Force Base. Wilson and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Santee, also would live in the same district under the proposed map, and could potentially run against each other. Wilson ended the 1st quarter of the year with $294,000 cash on hand. Clyburn had $1.4 million, according to FEC records.
The new 6th District would be the Pee Dee district centering around Florence and Darlington counties and have a Black voting age population of 37.9%, according to a Dave’s Redistricting analysis.
But who would run in the 6th Congressional District? Clyburn would live in the 2nd District, just outside the 6th District.
Under the proposed map, only one congressional candidate provided an address to the state election commission within the proposed 6th Congressional District. Overall, 14 congressional candidates provided addresses that would be in different districts than they filed under the proposed map.
In the eastern part of the state, mapmakers used Lake Marion as a natural divider between the proposed 2nd and 6th districts, and Lake Moultrie as a divider between the proposed 1st and 6th districts.
Currently, the 4th District includes the northern portion of Greenville County and almost all of Spartanburg County. The proposed map shifts the 4th District south to include the southern portions of the two counties and adds Laurens County.
Those who have been campaigning to represent the 5th Congressional District, such as state Sen. Wes Climer, R-York, would have to move their attention west.
The 5th District, which would be anchored in the Charlotte area, shifts to the west to include parts of Pickens, Greenville and Spartanburg counties. The map also separates most of York and Lancaster counties into different districts. Interstate 77 would be a dividing line to put Fort Mill in the 6th District and the rest of York County in the 5th District.
“That may not be in the best interest of Fort Mill. By doing that it also takes Lancaster County out of the 5th Congressional District,” state Sen. Michael Johnson posted on Facebook. “I have always viewed York and Lancaster as having similar demographics and shared concerns (especially about growth and infrastructure).”
The 5th District also loses Kershaw, Lee and Sumter counties.
The 7th District loses the Pee Dee, and would combine the Grand Strand with the coastal areas of Charleston County and Charleston and North Charleston.
The proposed map also would put three other colleges together: The 7th District would include The Citadel, the College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina University. The proposed 7th District goes from North Charleston down the peninsula to Charleston, Folly Beach and up the Atlantic coast to connect to Georgetown and Horry counties with Myrtle Beach up to the North Carolina border.
After the proposed map was released, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach, who represents the current 7th Congressional District, vowed to continue working for the district.
“No matter how the lines get drawn by the General Assembly during redistricting, I’ll continue fighting with President Donald Trump to reverse the disastrous policies of the Biden administration and set this country on a better path — because this job was never about a district number,” Fry posted on X. “Whether the district changes by one street or one hundred miles, that won’t change a thing about how hard I fight for you.”
Proposed districts by counties
1st District: Most of Berkeley county, part of Charleston County, and all of Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper counties.
2nd District: Parts of Richland and Sumter counties and all of Aiken, Barnwell, Allendale, Hampton, Bamberg, Orangeburg, Calhoun and Lexington counties.
3rd District: Parts of Richland and Pickens counties, and all of Oconee, Anderson, Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick, Edgefield, Saluda and Newberry counties.
4th District: Laurens County and the southern portions of Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
5th District: The northern portions of Pickens, Greenville and Spartanburg counties, most of York County, part of Richland County, and all of Cherokee, Chester, Union and Fairfield counties.
6th District: The eastern portion of York County east of Interstate 77, a portion of Berkeley County north of Lake Moultrie, most of Sumter County and all of Lancaster, Kershaw, Lee, Clarendon, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Florence, Williamsburg, Dillon and Marion counties.
7th District: Part of Charleston County, and all of Georgetown and Horry counties.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "3rd congressional district would host Palmetto Bowl every year in proposed SC map."
