A Republican push to redraw Kansas’ Congressional district lines — possibly splitting Johnson County and making re-election of Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids more difficult — appears to be dying in the Kansas Legislature, according to an interview with House Speaker Dan Hawkins published this week in the Sunflower State Journal.
Hawkins told the publication that it does not look likely there will be enough votes in his chamber to bring it up when the session begins Jan. 12. In fact, he said he doubted he’d have the 63-vote majority needed to pass a bill, let alone the 84 votes to make it veto-proof.
“We don’t have the votes,” he told the Journal. “We’re a long ways away from the votes.”
Rep. Davids reacts
Davids’ reaction Tuesday was guarded. A release from her office bore the headline, “Davids responds as GOP signals gerrymandering remains a top priority despite their setbacks.”
She noted that Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson have made the mid-decade redistricting a top priority. “Even with the House lacking the votes right now, (Hawkins’) comments make one thing clear,” she said. “Extreme politicians in Topeka are intent on trying again, pushing to redraw maps in their favor as soon as the Legislature reconvenes next week.”
State lawmakers normally redraw district boundaries once every 10 years, after U.S. Census data tracking population shifts is updated. In recent years, much of the conversation about redistricting has revolved around gerrymandering, a process by which district lines are massaged in a way to benefit one party or another.
Kansas lawmakers last redrew Congressional lines in 2022, debating at that time about changes that would dilute the Democratic vote and disadvantage Davids, who is Kansas’ only Democratic member of Congress. The 2022 maps removed parts of Wyandotte and Douglas counties from the Third District. Nonetheless, Davids went on to win her next re-election.
How did we get here?
Last year, several states began redistricting mid-decade at the behest of President Donald Trump. Kansas was among them, with Masterson, who is running for governor, at the helm in the Kansas Senate. Other Republican gubernatorial candidates, who could benefit from a Trump endorsement, had also expressed interest.
The early redistricting and especially the idea of splitting Johnson County’s suburban voters off into more rural areas, hit a nerve among county voters and sparked rallies and protests last October as the efforts in Kansas were gaining traction.
Statehouse Republicans began their effort with a call for a special session to discuss redistricting and a law that was upheld by the state appeals court that allows transgender Kansans to change their gender identity on drivers licenses.
Since Gov. Laura Kelly was unlikely to call for the special session, lawmakers needed a supermajority of members to sign on for it to happen. The Senate achieved that level, but the House fell short and the special session never was called.
But Masterson and Hawkins remained undeterred as the deadline passed, vowing to bring it up as the new session begins this year. Hawkins later stripped seven committee and vice chairs for not supporting the special session.
So far no Republican candidates for governor have responded to requests for comment on the lack of progress toward redistricting.
Two Democrats running for governor celebrated the development in separate releases, saying it proves gerrymandering is opposed by most Kansans.
“The lack of votes for redistricting confirms what we already know. Kansans want fair districts and they are tired of partisan games,” said Democratic candidate Ethan Corson. “This session should focus on the needs of Kansans, not scoring political points.”
Democrat Cindy Holscher said gerrymandering is designed to benefit politicians who are “afraid of accountability.”
“I am proud of the Kansans across the state who answered my call to action to push back against the GOP’s redistricting efforts,” she said.
Trump’s redistricting request also got a setback elsewhere in the country, as Indiana lawmakers, with a Republican majority, voted against it.
