Kansas Republicans fail to muster votes for redistricting special session
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas Republicans fail to gather House signatures for redistricting session
- GOP leaders sought mid-decade maps to weaken Rep. Sharice Davids' chances
- Procedure and holdouts blocked special session; redistricting fight may return
Kansas lawmakers are scrapping plans for a special session designed to gerrymander Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, released a statement Tuesday evening confirming that lawmakers will not convene in Topeka on Friday for the redistricting special session that GOP leaders have been pushing for weeks.
“Planning a Special Session is always going to be an uphill battle with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts, and many other unseen factors at play,” Hawkins said in the statement.
“At the end of the day, a supermajority of Republicans still believe there should be oversight of over a billion dollars in assistance for rural healthcare, know the difference between a man and a woman, and wish to have a conversation about redistricting,” added Hawkins, who is running for state insurance commissioner next year.
Republican leaders had floated several other possible topics to be addressed in a special session. But the primary goal was joining the parade of GOP-controlled states, including Missouri, that have redrawn their district boundaries this year to manufacture new Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives at the behest of President Donald Trump.
“For months, extreme Republican legislators in Topeka have been scheming with D.C. politicians to silence Kansas voices,” Davids said in a statement Tuesday evening.
“Today, we’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering, but their plan to cheat the system isn’t over,” she added. “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.”
Politico reported Monday that Davids recently met with California Sen. Adam Schiff to discuss a potential run for Congress’s higher chamber in 2026 if state lawmakers redoubled their efforts to draw her out of office. Davids survived Republicans’ previous attempt in 2022 to oust her with a new map that split up the Democratic stronghold of Wyandotte County.
Holdouts thwart GOP plans
To further weaken Davids’ electoral chances, Republicans would have to divide Johnson County into multiple congressional districts — a prospect that has stirred strong negative reactions from many residents.
The GOP plans ran up against procedural complications. Under state law, unless the governor calls for a special session, lawmakers can only convene outside of the regular session if two-thirds supermajorities in the House and Senate sign onto a petition.
Because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly opposes mid-decade redistricting, Republican leaders had to collect signatures — a task that proved more difficult on the House side, where a handful of holdouts refused to sign on to the special session petition.
Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, announced last week that he had collected enough signatures from his caucus to move forward with the Nov. 7 special session. GOP leaders had already budgeted $460,000 for lawmaker and staff pay, travel expenses and other costs associated with redistricting.
Masterson, who is running for governor next year, released his own statement Tuesday reaffirming his commitment to advancing Trump’s agenda.
“In 2016, 2020, and again in 2024, Kansans gave President Trump overwhelming support in record numbers, and they expect their elected leaders to keep fighting for his America-First agenda,” Masterson said. “That’s exactly what we’ve done in the Senate, and that’s exactly what we’ll keep doing. We’re not backing down, and we’re not sitting out of this fight.”
The redistricting issue could be revisited when lawmakers convene in Topeka in January, although it’s unclear whether Republicans would have the votes to override Kelly’s almost certain veto.
What are people saying?
House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, applauded the representatives who refused to sign on to the petition for what he described as “a sham special session.”
“Tonight’s 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,” Woodard said. “In Kansas, we use Census data and public input each decade to draw new maps, not pressure from any White House.”
The Fair Maps Coalition, an advocacy group created to oppose the redistricting push in Kansas, also celebrated the news on Tuesday.
“We are pleased that our elected officials finally listened to the people of Kansas,” spokesperson Laurel Burchfield said in a statement.
“Changing the maps mid-decade to rig the system in their favor is wrong,” she added. “What Kansans want is for their leaders to work together on the things that matter the most for Kansas families — like lowering costs, making healthcare affordable, and improving our economy.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 10:34 PM.
