Stephens: ‘We are not going to give up’; Senate District 39 shifts toward Berkeley County

S.C. Senate District 39 has been redrawn to reduce the number of Orangeburg County voters and increase the number of Berkeley County voters. The district is currently represented by Sen. Vernon Stephens, D-Bowman.

“I am just concerned Orangeburg County has lost some of its power in some sense,” Stephens said. “That will maybe be a detriment as we continue looking at economic development.”

Stephens believes the Orangeburg County legislative delegation has been “one of the most pro-education delegations in the state.”

“There seems to be a very bright future, economic development-wise, and we want that to continue,” he said.

Districts are redrawn following the U.S. Census to ensure each district has roughly the same number of people. Gov. Henry McMaster has signed the new House and Senate districts into law.

The newly redrawn District 39 now has about 27,943 residents in Orangeburg County and 65,208 residents in Berkeley County. About 12,832 residents are in Dorchester County.

There are a total of 105,983 residents in the new District 39.

The Black voting age population for District 39 has also changed under the new map. The Black voting age population is now 39%, with a white voting age population of 50%.

Stephens said the current district is the complete opposite in terms of population breakdown.

In 2010, the Black voting age population was about 49% and the white voting age population was about 39% for the district.

“It made a complete flip,” Stephens said.

The addition of a large portion of Berkeley County could also be a challenge for a Democratic candidate. The county has historically voted Republican.

During the 2020 election, Stephens did win the portion of Berkeley County he represents by about 261 votes. Berkeley County had about 3,500 people who voted in the 2020 election from District 39.

The district, as redrawn, has lost about 13,267 Orangeburg County residents, including residents of Eutawville, Santee, Vance, Providence and Elloree.

Senate District 36, represented by Manning Democrat Sen. Kevin Johnson, has gained those areas.

Stephens also lost about 5,000 individuals in eastern Calhoun County. In total, District 39 lost about 18,300 individuals to Johnson.

District 36 also has about 56,422 residents in Sumter, and about 31,144 people in Clarendon County. There are 105,832 residents in the newly redrawn District 36.

Stephens was joined by Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, as one of only two senators opposed to the Senate’s maps. The Senate voted 41-2 to approve the maps Dec. 8.

The new Senate District 39 still includes the eastern portion of the City of Orangeburg, such as the Wilkinson Heights, Brookdale and Nix communities.

The district also includes Four Holes, Bethel, Bowman, Whetsell, Holly Hill, Rowesville and Branchville.

The district also reaches down into Dorchester County to include cities like St. George and Harleyville and into Berkeley County to include areas as far southeast as the western suburbs of Goose Creek.

The district no longer includes Colleton County.

Stephens noted District 39 was historically created as a minority district with a heavy Orangeburg County population.

“You talk about regression, but I didn’t want to go back to where the district came from some years ago,” Stephens said.

Another concern with the new maps is the large Berkeley County population.

Looking at historical data, the portion of Berkeley County that District 39 picked up did vote Democratic during the 2020 presidential election, but Stephens said “that is not a given” with the growing population at Cane Bay and Nexton.

Stephens also said the remapping broke up communities of interest by taking Elloree, Santee, Providence, Vance and Eutawville away from other Orangeburg County towns like Holly Hill, Bowman and Rowesville.

He also noted Calhoun County has shared interests, such as the Regional Medical Center, with other areas that are traditionally part of the district.

Stephens noted District 36 will now cross Lake Marion and wonders how Clarendon and Sumter counties are connected to Orangeburg County

“I have issues with that,” he said.

Despite the redrawing of District 39, Stephens said he will continue to serve.

“We are not going to give up,” he said.

While he has not fully made up his mind about running in 2024, Stephens said, “I probably will.”

Johnson said he believes the remapping was fair.

“I don’t think everyone was 100% pleased with it, but most people are satisfied with how the lines are drawn,” he said. “I was surprised to be a part of Orangeburg County and Calhoun County. I am excited about it. I have many friends and acquaintances over there.”

Johnson says he will strive to “bring progress to the area” and says he is no stranger to Orangeburg County.

“I have worked with some of the Orangeburg delegation in the past,” he said. Johnson said he recently collaborated with Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, on funding Highway 15 improvements.

When asked if he believes any of communities of interest were fractured by joining Clarendon and Orangeburg counties, Johnson said he believes the interests are the same.

“The issues are what they have been for years, such as public education, health care, expanding broadband,” he said. “We will continue to work on those and make sure we can represent the people well and bring the needed resources into the area.”

“What benefits the north side of the lake benefits the south side,” he said. “I will continue that great working relationship.”

Johnson said a number of individuals have already reached out to him from Orangeburg and Calhoun counties who have pledged their support.

“It is like a coming home experience,” he said.

Orangeburg County’s other resident senator – Hutto – saw relatively little change in his district in The T&D Region.

The newly drawn Senate District 40 now includes the western suburbs of the city of Orangeburg, including Pecan Way Terrace, Orangeburg Country Club and Rivelon.

The district stretches to include Cordova, Norway, Neeses, North, Wolfton, Woodford and Springfield. The district continues to include all of Bamberg County.

The district stretches to include all of Allendale County and all of Barnwell County.

The new district has gained the northern portions of Aiken County from Salley down to Mount Beulah all the way to Monetta.

The newly drawn district is no longer representing the northwest portion of Hampton County and has slightly less representation in Colleton County.

Looking at the numbers, District 40 has 43,013 residents from Orangeburg County; Barnwell, 20,589; Aiken, 18,138; Bamberg, 13,311; Allendale, 10,419; and Colleton, 3,683. There are a total of 106,773 residents in the new District 40.

“I think in many ways, it is the same community of interests,” Hutto said about picking up Aiken County. “There is a lot of farming and rural areas.”

He also said like Allendale and Barnwell counties, Aiken County also shares the Savannah River site as an interest and the Lower Savannah Council of Governments.

Overall, Hutto said the Black voting age population may have fallen slightly lower, but the change is minor.

Although his district has not changed significantly, Hutto hopes are that the changes to District 39 will not mean the loss of a resident senator in the county.

“It is just about growth,” he said. “A lot of districts were shifted to the coast and District 39 was one of those.”

He noted Lake Marion and Interstate 95 were cited as commonalities between Clarendon and Orangeburg counties.

Hutto said it is not uncommon for a senator to live in a county that is not the dominant one of his or her district. District 36’s dominant county is Sumter, but Johnson lives in Clarendon County.

Hutto said Stephens is a strong candidate with a good track record and a good campaigner, saying Stephens can hold his own in Berkeley County.

Rounding out the Senate remapping is Senate District 26, which is represented by Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington.

The new Senate District 26, which has not drastically changed its boundaries, consists of the western part of Calhoun County from St. Matthews to Sandy Run. The district has about 9,120 Calhoun County residents, 69,412 in Lexington County and 29,614 in Richland County. There are 108,146 residents in the new District 26.

One significant change is that the remapping resulted in a Columbia-based district being moved to Charleston.

This means Setzler and Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, are in the same district, anchored by downtown Columbia and the areas just west of the Congaree River.

The changes in district lines happened due to the fact that many rural and more Democratic districts either lost population or grew at a slower rate than the state as a whole from 2010 to 2020.

South Carolina added nearly 500,000 people over the decade, its population growing 10.7% to more than 5.1 million, according to the new U.S. Census population count.

Growth was concentrated in areas like Horry County, Charleston County and the rest of the coast; York and northern Lancaster County near Charlotte, North Carolina, and around Greenville and Spartanburg.

Fourteen of the 16 districts represented by Democrats in 2021 either lost population or failed to gain people as fast as the state average. Such districts have had to expand to cover larger areas.

The new maps would likely not significantly change the Republicans’ 81-43 advantage over Democrats in the House and 30-16 advantage in the Senate.