SC .......7?

I Didn't Make This Map ... It's Already Been There



       While on Facebook today, I had an indirect chat with 2/3 of the other Four Horsemen. The topic of conversation? The possibility of a 7th Congressional district in South Carolina.  Honestly, despite all the assurances of people in the Palmetto State, I don't think we're getting one - but it does make an interesting discussion.  


      What makes me pretty sure about this? Two things. First, NO ONE in South Carolina has any control over how many seats a state gets. That's up to the Federal Government, and I read an official estimate from whatever agency controls that, stating that according to their estimates, SC will just miss out.  Don't ask me what agency that is. Honestly, I forgot. But I'll take their word over my local state rep or senator... Secondly, the numbers (my favorite thing) back that up.  The estimated population in the US is over 300 million. Divide that by 435 seats, and that equals about 689,000 people per seat.  Multiply that by 7 seats, and South Carolina would need 4,875,000 citizens to qualify.  They will probably miss out by at least 400,000.  Methinks it ain't gonna happen...


    Still, we'll ignore reason temporarily... Just where would the 7th be? Would the Pee Dee and Grand Strand get their seat back, or would Greenville and Spartanburg get the divorce that both want so badly? Perhaps both.  I was going to look for a suggestive map, but it turns out there already is one - or more correctly, WAS one.



    For those of you who know their history, South Carolina has had seven districts before.  This is the map of the Old Seven, which went from 1883 until 1933, when they lost a seat.  So, the roadmap for 2013 is kind of already in place.  First you'll notice, it's not gerrymandered, mainly because SC was so one sided, that districts didn't need to be gerrymandered.  But, for the most part, it works today....


    Yes, the new 7th would be the Pee Dee and Grand Strand, with the likelihood that it would be Republican.  As for the 6th, Jim Clyburn would be a Columbia-based district, which I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He essentially would give up North Charleston for all of Columbia. The only obvious change I see here is him giving up Lexington County for Orangeburg.  Joe Wilson's area stays the same for the most part, although the upper counties shown here would fall into the 3rd.  Mick Mulvaney would lose the Pee Dee (good for him), and with a little tinkering, the 3rd and 4th districts might be split between the Two Sisters (Greenville & Spartanvegas). 


    So, the addition of a 7th district would be a good thing for the GOP, right? Not necessarily.... We foresee Tim Scott as a huge potential loser here.  A 7th would chop half of his district up - the good half.  Horry County is much more Red than Chucktown.  Add the possibility of taking on North Charleston, which is bluer than a Fraternal of Police convention, and Scott has a problem.  His only savior, ironically, may be Clyburn himself.  The Whipper likes not having to worry about re-election every 2 years, and North Chucktown goes a long way towards ensuring that.  It all boils down to whether Clyburn is more concerned about himself or his party's success. We think we know his priorities....Scott may be safe after all.


    For all the discussion here, we still think it's all masturbatory... But, it does at least give some of us a chance to exercise our brains for a while. 

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