South Carolina Democrats celebrate after failure of Trump-backed redistricting push

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democrats were in a more celebratory mood than usual as they gathered Friday in South Carolina, a state led almost entirely by Republicans.

Just days ago, the Republican-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw the House map to oust Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina's only congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who has been in office since 1993.

With his district still intact, Clyburn spent Friday night hosting his signature event, the “World Famous Fish Fry,” which followed the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual Democratic fundraiser.

"You have delivered for the people of this state and this nation in an unbelievable way,” Clyburn told a sold-out crowd at the dinner as hundreds of attendees burst into thunderous applause.

The back-to-back events often showcase potential presidential contenders. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at the dinner, and he paid tribute to Clyburn.

“I am so proud to be here with the one and only Jim Clyburn, the man so strong that South Carolina Republicans said, ‘no thanks’ to Donald Trump on redistricting,” he said.

Beshear and California Rep. Ro Khanna joined Clyburn at the fish fry as well, where thousands chowed down on hot fried fish and sipped cold drinks.

Democratic candidates from around the state wore blue “Clyburn for Congress” T-shirts as they pitched themselves to the crowd, a political ritual that showcases his influence in South Carolina. He's running for his 18th term this year.

South Carolina's primary is June 9. Voters will choose nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Had Republicans in the state Senate not rejected the plan pushed by the White House, those congressional votes would have been canceled and a new primary scheduled under revised districts.

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

Clyburn, who is Black, condemned the White House-led effort, which he said had been aimed at “zeroing Democratic voters, zeroing African American voters out of the process.”

“I know the state, and I am embarrassed that so many people in our legislature will allow strangers in Washington to tell them what to do, when to do it and how to do it,” Clyburn said as he cast his vote in Orangeburg on Tuesday.

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy to redraw voting districts to the party's advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterms. Republicans have moved quickly to try to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act.

At least for now, Clyburn's 6th congressional district has been preserved, as has his place as the Democrat to whom White House hopefuls look for guidance in navigating the state's electorate.

During the 2020 primary, Clyburn provided a crucial endorsement to Joe Biden, helping him demonstrate strength among Black voters and catapulting him to the Democratic nomination. On Friday night, Clyburn told reporters he was “open” to endorsing a presidential candidate in 2028.

But Clyburn, among the oldest Democrats serving in Washington, has called it an “open question” as to whether his next term could be his last. Whenever he leaves office, the Democratic field looking to replace him is anticipated to be massive.

The conclusion of November's midterm elections will mark the unofficial start to a 2028 presidential primary season. Although the order of states for Democrats' primaries won't be set for months, the battle for attention has already begun in a variety of places that could play a pivotal role.

On Thursday, Democratic chairs in five southern states wrote a letter to Democratic National Committee officials urging them to again pick South Carolina to go first.

However, party leaders here have braced for a different spot on the calendar, saying they wouldn't see it as a loss if another state got the leadoff spot.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, center, speaks to reporters as U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., look on, ahead of remarks at Clyburn's "World Famous Fish Fry" event on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., left, speaks to attendees at his "World Famous Fish Fry" as U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky look on, on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky speaks to attendees at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks to attendees at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks to reporters ahead of remarks at his "World Famous Fish Fry" event on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

FILE - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear attends the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

FILE - Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks to attendees at his World Famous Fish Fry, May 30, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Three climbers on Alaska’s Mount McKinley who fell near a treacherous pass on North America’s tallest peak have died, a Latvian mountaineering group announced Friday. A fourth climber was rescued.

The four were members of a Latvian mountaineering expedition, the group said. They were part of a seven-person team traversing a route known for its exposed sections — where many injuries and deaths have occurred over the years — when they fell Wednesday, the National Park Service has said.

McKinley stands at about 20,310 feet (6,190 meters), and the climber who was rescued was brought off the mountain from about 17,200 feet (5,240 meters) by Denali National Park and Preserve search and rescue personnel late Thursday afternoon. A long line from a helicopter was used in the rescue because the terrain and conditions prevented the helicopter from landing, the park service said Friday. The climber was later airlifted to a hospital.

The fall happened during the climb near Denali Pass, which is about 18,200 feet (5,550 meters), the park service said. It provided few other details. The three others in the climbing group helped with the rescue work and started experiencing “declining physical conditions," the park service said. Crews evacuated them from the mountain Friday.

The group was on the West Buttress route, the most popular path to the summit. It’s known for crevasses, steep ice and exposed ridges.

Over the years, many climbing injuries and deaths have occurred on the traverse between an area known as high camp at around 17,200 feet (5,240 meters) and Denali Pass, mainly resulting from unprotected falls, according to the park. Most of the deaths along the pass have happened while climbers are descending.

Park rangers and mountain guides install and maintain snow pickets — which are used to help build anchors for extra protection on areas like steep slopes — between the high camp and Denali Pass, the park has said. That area also is known as the Autobahn, a snow and ice slope that can be marked by conditions ranging from deep snow carrying avalanche risk to hard ice, the agency said.

Climbers can put in their own pickets if needed, but “you might have to bash it in through very, very dense snow and ice even,” said climber Clint Helander, who has summitted McKinley and been on the mountain numerous times.

Intense glaciation, rapid weather changes, altitude and the sheer scale of the peak make climbing McKinley “a huge undertaking," he said. Climbers also must carry a significant amount of gear for what can be long expeditions, he said.

“It’s immensely easy for something to happen and turn an otherwise straightforward trip into an epic,” Helander said.

Only about 1,000 to 1,200 climbers attempt to reach the top of Mount McKinley each year, mostly during May and June. The trip usually takes about 17 days, and less than half made it to the summit last year, according to park statistics.

More than 130 people have died on the mountain in the history of the park, including two deaths last year, according to park statistics. In 2012, four climbers from Japan were killed after a shallow avalanche pushed them into a crevasse.

There were 516 climbers on the mountain as of Thursday, said Scott Carr, a park service spokesperson.

Two others climbers who were not with the group that fell were evacuated from the mountain by helicopter Wednesday, according to the park service.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

FILE - North America's tallest peak, on Aug. 12, 2025, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer,File)