A ‘celebration.’ Kansas House advances new Legislative district lines on bipartisan vote
Kansas lawmakers advanced newly drawn House districts Wednesday, following a discussion Tuesday marked by a rare show of bipartisan warmth and collegiality.
One representative coined the 30-minute debate a “celebration.”
The Kansas House voted 112-10 to approve newly drawn districts as required to account for population shifts recorded by the 2020 U.S. Census.
“This has been a great experience,” Rep. Chris Croft, an Overland Park Republican, said in a speech that resembled an award acceptance. He thanked the top Democrat on the Redistricting Committee, legislative staff, fellow members of the House and the public.
He concluded by declaring, “One team, one Kansas,” as the chamber rose for a standing ovation.
The mood was a stark contrast to the bitter partisanship that marked efforts in January to redraw Kansas’ Congressional map. The map, passed over Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto, is tied up in Douglas and Wyandotte County court challenges.
The legislative map, negotiated by House Democrats and Republicans, adds two new districts in Johnson County. It also consolidates six other districts into three, pitting sets of GOP incumbents in primaries to retain seats.
Projections by the Campaign Legal Center, a non-profit focused on voting rights, indicated Republicans would be likely to win 83 seats and Democrats 42, leaving Republicans just one vote shy of a supermajority. That would mean the party’s slimmest majority in a decade, but several swing districts in the Johnson County and Wichita areas could alter that balance of power..
Democrats and Republicans characterized the map as a fair compromise that helped incumbents.
At least one representative didn’t share the spirit of comity. Rep. Tatum Lee, a Ness City Republican, lamented the loss of representation in the western part of the state. She called it the result of political retaliation.
“Dictators don’t like dissenters,” Lee said, referring to GOP leaders.
Lee, a hard-right freshman with a reputation for bucking party leadership, was drawn into a district alongside another Republican, Scott City Rep. Jim Minnix. She is one of six GOP House members who could face primaries with incumbents to save their seats.
She is also one of four House members to vote against a resolution honoring Ukrainians last week, citing concerns about the U.S. southern border as her reason.
Lee said she believed leadership drew her in with another incumbent because she frequently disagreed with them.
“If liberty is offensive to some I guess we’ll deal with it at the polls,” Lee said.
During the House debate Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican, said he felt the decision to combine those districts was fair as both were freshman lawmakers. Minnix said Wednesday he felt the map was fair.
Rep. Tom Burroughs, a Kansas City Democrat, applauded the process and thanked Republicans for their work in negotiations. He acknowledged that not every member would be pleased with their new district.
“I know there’s some of you that aren’t happy,” Rep. Tom Burroughs, a Kansas City Democrat said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort and it wasn’t for lack of listening to every one of you.”
Democrats retained safe districts in Johnson County, Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka. The majority of the swing districts in Kansas were in Johnson County.
The Johnson County area has moved toward the left since the 2016 election and is also the fastest growing area in Kansas.
A map of new Senate districts, passed in the Senate last week, retained the GOP supermajority while close races were concentrated in Johnson County.
The House is scheduled to vote on the map Wednesday.
