Kansas will not redraw its congressional maps this year after Republicans rebelled against party leadership to oppose gerrymandering.
Takeaways
- House Republicans rebelled against party leadership to oppose the maps.
- Republicans are expected to redraw maps when they return to Topeka in January.
- A small group of Republicans have rebelled against GOP priorities before. Republicans were mostly united last session, but a small group again joined Democrats in stopping a key priority for GOP leadership.
“Planning a special session is always going to be an uphill battle with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts and many other unseen factors at play,” said House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, in a press release.
Republicans are expected to redraw maps when they return for the regular session in January, but they will likely need to rally more votes.
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, refused to call a redistricting special session, so two-thirds of lawmakers needed to sign a petition to force one. The petition got enough signatures in the Senate but failed to get the two-thirds majority in the House. GOP leadership will need two-thirds of lawmakers to override a veto.
GOP leadership made redrawing the congressional maps a priority. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said that “the battle for the heart and soul of this country is real” and that gerrymandering the maps was critical to the state’s political future.
Republicans were targeting U.S. Rep Sharice Davids, a Roeland Park Democrat, and the only Kansas-based liberal lawmaker in Congress. Davids said this was the first victory in the fight for fair maps.
“Their plan to cheat the system isn’t over,” she said. “They’ve made it clear they’ll do anything to hold onto power, but I’ve been just as clear: voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.”
Multiple Republicans in the House opposed a special session in the lead up to the final announcement that the petition failed.
Rep. Mark Schreiber, an Emporia Republican, said congressional districts should be redrawn for population changes, not political gain. Rep. Bill Sutton, a Garnder Republican, said it’s a questionable decision to redraw maps. And Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said the maps were drawn well in 2022 and redrawing them differently could get them struck down in court.
The 2022 maps narrowly survived a Kansas Supreme Court challenge.
KCUR reported that the petition to recall lawmakers to Topeka was passed around in late September. In mid-October, Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican, said a special session was very close. But the weeks dragged on and Republicans couldn’t muster the final few signatures needed.
Democrats celebrated the announcement, saying Kansas is the first state in the country to resist President Donald Trump’s call to gerrymander maps. Politico reports that New Hampshire’s redistricting efforts have stalled.
The announcement is “a testament to the people of Kansas making it crystal clear that they oppose any attempt, by any party, to cheat the system by drawing new congressional districts,” said House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat.
A special session would have cost $460,000.
Kansas Democrats have had some success in recent years temporarily defeating conservative priorities. Bills banning gender-affirming care were shot down before a ban was eventually passed, and Republicans had to compromise on their tax plan. But that was before the 2024 election swung Kansas further to the right.
Last session, Republicans passed majority priorities and overrode vetoes with far more success than in recent years. But this is one issue, Woodard said, where a bipartisan coalition came together.
“In Kansas, we use census data and public input each decade to draw new maps, not pressure from any White House,” Woodard said.
