by Melissa O’Rourke
Kansas Republicans backed off a mid-decade redistricting push that could have targeted the state’s lone Democratic member of Congress, even as blue states press ahead with their own efforts to secure more favorable congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Republican state House Speaker Dan Hawkins announced Tuesday that he did not have enough votes to convene a special session to redraw U.S. House districts. Republicans control both chambers of the Kansas Legislature, but a two-thirds majority is needed to call a special session without the permission of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
“Planning a Special Session is always going to be an uphill battle with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts and many unseen factors at play,” Hawkins (pictured above) said in a statement, according to Politico, but added that state Republicans still “wish to have a conversation about redistricting.”
Hawkins’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“For months, extreme Republican legislators in Topeka have been scheming with D.C. politicians to silence Kansas voices,” Rep. Sharice Davids, the state’s lone congressional Democrat and target of the GOP redistricting push, said in a statement on X. “Today we’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering. But their plan to cheat the system isn’t over.”
Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson, who is also currently running for governor, vowed that redistricting will be a “top priority when the Legislature reconvenes in January.”
“In 2016, 2020, and again in 2024, Kansans gave President Trump overwhelming record numbers, and they expect their elected leaders to keep fighting for his America-First agenda,” Masterson said in a statement. “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.”
We won’t back down. Kansas will be a part of the fight for America’s future. pic.twitter.com/rPs5nDzWwD
— Ty Masterson (@TyMastersonKS) November 5, 2025
The push in Kansas followed President Donald Trump‘s call for Republican-led states to redraw their maps to strengthen the party’s position in Congress. Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have already responded, creating seven additional GOP-leaning seats between them.
Texas’ new congressional map redrew five seats in Republicans’ favor. The new congressional map is facing a legal challenge. In North Carolina and Missouri, these newly drawn congressional maps give Republicans an extra seat, according to ABC News.
Ohio, which is required by law to redraw its congressional maps, created a new one that favors Republicans.
Meanwhile, California voters handed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom a major win on Tuesday, approving his partisan gerrymandering proposal to create up to five more Democratic House seats ahead of the midterms. The ballot measure was approved by over 60% of voters as of Wednesday morning, according to NBC News, after proponents poured over $100 million into the campaign to sway the vote.
“California Democrats are working overtime to silence republicans and steal the House majority,” Masterson said. “Even Governor Laura Kelly admitted that there’s a bigger risk in doing nothing. On that, we agree. States across America are standing up, and Kansas will be part of the fight.”
After California passed Proposition 50, Newsom celebrated the victory.
“What happened here in California tonight is a victory for the people of this country. [Donald Trump’s]attempts to rig the midterm elections are backfiring. His attempts to silence you are backfiring. His entire presidency is backfiring,” he said on X.
Democrats in Virginia also convened a special session in late October to redraw congressional districts, aiming to gain up to three seats ahead of next year’s midterms.
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Melissa O’Rourke is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
