Today, Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) issued the following statement in response to Kansas Senate Republicans’ new special session announcement:

“You can’t change the rules mid-fight just because you’re afraid you can’t win — yet that’s exactly what extreme Republicans in Topeka are doing,” said Davids. “This is a blatant attempt to silence Kansas voters and protect their own political power. Kansans deserve fairness, not backroom deals influenced by D.C. to hurt Kansans.”

Background:

State Republican legislators are circulating a petition to call a special session beginning November 7 to gerrymander Kansas’ maps by splitting up Johnson County. While Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson announced today that the Kansas Senate has reached the two-thirds threshold, the Kansas House has not yet met that requirement.

During the 2022 gerrymander, state politicians promised to keep the county whole. Now, to gain an endorsement from Donald Trump, those same politicians, including Masterson, are poised to go back on their word — they approved $460,000 in taxpayer funds for this special session.

Davids, who recently called out state legislators for hiding details from Kansans, 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.