South Carolina Democrats are expected to celebrate after a Trump-backed redistricting campaign failed

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democrats may be in a more festive mood than usual when they meet Friday in South Carolina, a state led almost entirely by Republicans.

The party is holding its event days after the GOP-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw House district lines to help Republicans this fall. The move was aimed at ousting Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s only Democratic congressman and a party fixer who has been in office since 1993.

Friday’s rallies begin with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that typically highlights potential presidential contenders and the party’s national figures. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will be the keynote address.

He watches: News wrap: South Carolina Senate rejects redistricting campaign

Clyburn’s signature event, the “World Famous Fish Fry,” follows the dinner. This gathering, which began years ago as a thank you to campaign supporters, has become a special destination for those aspiring to the White House. For a minute, they, along with South Carolina Democrats seeking a series of offices, had their own interesting speech moment, appearing alongside Clyburn, whose support boosted the presidents.

These events come as early in-person voting takes place in South Carolina’s primary election, which will be held on June 9. Voters will choose candidates for statewide offices, including governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. If Republicans in the state Senate had not rejected the plan pushed by the White House, those votes in Congress could have been overturned and new primaries could have been scheduled under the revised districts.

Republicans criticized redistricting as voting began

A state Senate vote on redistricting failed on Tuesday, the first day of early voting, with some senators saying it was too late to change district lines.

Clyburn, who is black, condemned the White House-led effort, saying it was aimed at “liquidating Democratic voters and keeping African American voters out of the process.”

Read more: The redistricting debate moves to South Carolina as Republicans target Rep. Clyburn’s seat

“I know the state, and I’m embarrassed that so many people in our Legislature would let strangers in Washington tell them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it,” Clyburn said while casting his ballot in Orangeburg on Tuesday.

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy to redraw electoral districts in favor of the GOP in an attempt to retain a narrow House majority in the midterm elections. Republicans moved quickly to try to take advantage of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened protections for minorities under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Claiborne retains his kingmaker role

At least for now, Clyburn’s district has been preserved, as has his status as the Democrat White House hopefuls look to for guidance in steering voters in the state.

Among the 21 presidential candidates who took the stage in 2019 was Joe Biden, who later overcame his missteps in the early 2020 primaries and cruised to a resounding victory here after Clyburn endorsed him.

The 85-year-old doyen of South Carolina Democrats is seeking an 18-member term to represent the 6th District, which he appears certain to get now that the threat of redistricting has subsided.

But Clyburn, who is among the longest-serving Democrats in Washington, called it an “open question” whether this term could be his last, and there is expected to be a large crowd of Democrats looking to replace him when he leaves office.

Beshear is a potential 2028 candidate

The conclusion of the midterm elections in November will mark the unofficial start of the 2028 presidential primary season. Although the voting order for Democrats will not be determined for months, early primaries have already begun in earnest in a variety of states — including South Carolina — where candidates are counting on playing a pivotal role in selecting the party’s nominees.

By all indications, Bashir is looking to be among them. He has focused much of his attention on the labor leaders whose support Biden relied on in his successful 2020 campaign. Already this year, the two-term governor has delivered a keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Convention, raised money for local Democrats and taken questions at AFL-CIO headquarters.

Last summer, he spent two days in South Carolina, where he addressed the AFL-CIO convention and met with party leaders across the state.

Bashir isn’t the only national-level star in town. California Rep. Ro Khanna, who has visited South Carolina several times in recent months, is scheduled to headline the state convention on Saturday and also attend Friday’s dinner.

South Carolina’s annual caucus comes as the Democratic National Committee considers its primary calendar for 2028. The state is seeking to finish first again, though senior party figures say they wouldn’t consider it a loss if another state falls off the calendar.

The important aspect, they stress, is that South Carolina maintains its status as an early primary state, a position that brings the state that consistently votes Republican in general elections periodic attention — and campaign spending — from Democrats that it would not otherwise have.

On Thursday, Democratic Party chairs in five Southern states wrote a letter to Democratic Party officials urging them to once again pick South Carolina to finish first overall.