A group of Kansas Republicans is blocking the state’s efforts to redistrict its congressional maps and paying a political price for it.
State officials sought to redraw the congressional maps to secure an additional seat for Republicans. Kansas currently has four congressional districts, with Rep. Sharice Davids — the sole Democrat — representing the 3rd District, which covers the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Republicans would need a two-thirds majority in the Kansas House and Senate to call for a special session to redraw the maps, but they don’t have the votes.
They would also need a two-thirds majority to override an expected veto from Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat.
“I would rather just stand on principle and stand on my morals and ethics,” state Rep. Brett Fairchild, a Republican who opposes redistricting, told The New York Times.
State Rep. Clarke Sanders, another Republican, said he refused to sign onto a letter supporting a special session and received a phone call from the White House.
Sanders said he believes redrawing the maps would be politically risky.
“I just thought that this would give Democrats a club to beat us over the head with if we went forward,” Sanders told the Times.
In response, Sanders said he was removed as vice chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee.
Six committee chairs and vice chairs were removed from their posts for not supporting a special session, according to memos sent by House Speaker Dan Hawkins and obtained by the Times.
Ten House Republicans refused to back a special session, Hawkins said.
“Any leader that is not working with the other leaders to make things happen really doesn’t deserve to be a chair anymore, and, quite frankly, that’s the reason why I made a move,” Hawkins said on “John Whitmer Show,” a talk radio show.
Davids, whose seat is at most risk by redistricting, has said she is “legitimately livid” about the process.
“It’s infuriating, but it’s also a little bit confusing because it’s such a bad idea,” said Davids, one of two Native American women elected to Congress.
Other state representatives, such as Pat Proctor, told the Times that redistricting is crucial to advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Meanwhile, Kelly has expressed support for Democrats redrawing their maps to push back against Republican gerrymandering.
State Rep. Mark Schreiber told the Times redistricting Kansas’ maps “would just ruin the confidence people have in our political system.”
“I’m very comfortable with my reasoning,” Schreiber said.
“If the president called, I would tell him the same thing. And if he ran a primary challenger, I’d say, ‘Bring it on.'”
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