GOP Politicians Promise to Continue the Fight to Rig Maps

After weeks of secret partisan maneuvering, Kansas Republicans failed to gather the signatures needed to move forward with a special legislative session aimed at gerrymandering congressional maps. However, it’s likely they’ll make another attempt during the regular legislative session that starts in January. Kansas Senate President Ty Masteron said in a statement today that redistricting will be “a top priority when the Legislature reconvenes in January.”

Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) released the following statement:

“For months, extreme Republican legislators in Topeka have been scheming with D.C. politicians to silence Kansas voices,” said Davids. “Today we’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering. But their plan to cheat the system isn’t over. 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.”

Background:

State Republican legislators were circulating a petition to call a special session beginning this week to gerrymander Kansas’ maps by splitting up Johnson County. The Kansas Senate reached the two-thirds threshold for the special session, but the Kansas House did not, according to Hawkins.

Now, these lawmakers plan to make another attempt during the upcoming regular legislative session in January. Masteron confirmed it, and House Speaker Dan Hawkins said in a statement titled “Countdown to January 12th” that Republicans still “wish to have a conversation about redistricting.”

During the 2022 gerrymander, state politicians promised to keep Johnson County whole. But to gain an endorsement from Donald Trump, those same politicians have gone back on their word. After meeting with extreme D.C. politicians, Republicans in the Kansas state legislature approved $460,000 in taxpayer funds for the session. A draft map, that splits counties, circulated by KCMO can be found here.

Davids has faced this fight before. Former Senate Majority Leader Susan Wagle said at the time, “I guarantee you we can draw four Republican congressional maps.” But after the 2022 gerrymander, which was designed to make Kansas’ Third District as Republican-friendly as possible, Davids won the election by 12 percent and was re-elected last year by double digits.

Davids ran to serve the people of Kansas and remains focused on representing them in whatever capacity best allows her to do so. If the unprecedented mid-decade redistricting moves forward, all options remain on the table to ensure Kansans’ voices are heard.