Kansas Republicans have halted their efforts to initiate a redraw of U.S. House districts, a move that would have positioned the state in a broader national strategy for partisan advantage ahead of the 2026 elections. The announcement came from Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins on Tuesday, effectively concluding a weeks-long campaign by GOP lawmakers to bypass Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and convene a special session focused on redistricting.
The proposed special session aimed to target U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in Kansas’s congressional delegation, as part of a strategy to enhance the Republican Party’s chances in upcoming elections. The Kansas GOP was responding to a call from former President Donald Trump for states to redraw congressional maps to secure additional winnable seats, with the goal of maintaining a slim House majority.
Kansas’s constitution permits lawmakers to circumvent the governor’s refusal to call a special session if two-thirds of the members from both chambers sign a petition. Although the GOP holds the necessary supermajorities to achieve this, some Republican lawmakers expressed opposition to a mid-decade redistricting. Concerns were raised that such changes could inadvertently make other Republican-held districts more competitive for Democrats.
In a statement, Hawkins acknowledged the complexities involved in planning a special session, citing “multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts, and many unseen factors at play.” The original intention of the petition was to gather support over several weeks, but as the announcement unfolded, it became clear that internal divisions within the party had influenced the decision to withdraw.
The move by Kansas Republicans contrasts with similar initiatives in states like Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, where GOP lawmakers have acted on Trump’s directive to pursue new congressional maps. In California, a countermeasure was placed on the ballot to potentially secure five additional Democratic seats, reflecting the ongoing national tug-of-war over redistricting.
If Republicans in Kansas decide to pursue redistricting in the future, they still have opportunities to do so. The Kansas Legislature is scheduled to convene for its next regular session on January 12, 2024. The filing deadline for candidates is set for June 1, 2024, with the primary elections taking place on August 4, 2024. Thus, there is still ample time for the GOP to introduce new maps if they choose to revisit this contentious issue.
This development highlights the ongoing strategic calculations within political parties as they navigate the complexities of electoral politics and representation in the lead-up to critical elections.
