Kansas won’t redraw its congressional map in 2026, top GOP lawmaker says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas GOP likely won’t push a new congressional map before 2026.
- Speaker Hawkins failed to secure signatures and decisive House support.
- Plan to redraw maps to target Rep. Sharice Davids stalled for now.
It appears Kansas will not join the parade of states engaging in mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, told reporters Monday that he doesn’t have the votes necessary to pass a new map over the all-but-certain veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
A gerrymandering push would have aimed to draw U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids — the lone Democrat and person of color in Kansas’ congressional delegation — out of office by splintering Johnson County into multiple districts.
“To say that redistricting wasn’t high on my priority list would be wrong because I truly believe that it was the right thing to do,” said Hawkins, who is running for state insurance commissioner. “As you know, we did not get the signatures to come into special session, and we do not have the votes to hold a vote on the House side.”
Hawkins couldn’t get 10 GOP House members to sign onto the petition that would have recalled lawmakers to Topeka in November to take up redistricting and other legislative priorities.
“Kansans have been crystal clear: they don’t want politicians stacking the deck to cling to power,” Davids said in a statement to The Star.
“I hope all lawmakers in Topeka are listening,” she continued. “But let’s not kid ourselves — backed by Washington extremists, state politicians made clear even today that rigging our elections remains a ‘top priority,’ because they know their extreme policies can’t win on a level playing field.”
Hawkins suggested that Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who’s running for governor, may push a vote on a new congressional map through the Legislature’s high chamber in 2026. But he said he doesn’t see a point in holding a vote in the House that would be doomed to fail without the support of two-thirds of lawmakers.
“If I don’t have the votes to pass something, I’m not going to put people on a vote just to have a vote,” Hawkins said, estimating that as many as 20 GOP House lawmakers might vote against redistricting.
Masterson did not respond to a request for comment.
The Star obtained records showing Kansas spent $43,000 on redistricting technology and training in September ahead of the failed special session.
Nationwide redistricting blitz
Of the Republican-controlled states that have taken up redistricting legislation at the behest of President Donald Trump, only Indiana has so far rejected a new congressional map aimed at maximizing the odds of Republicans maintaining a slim majority in the U.S. House.
Ousting Davids would have been no small feat. She increased her margin of victory when state lawmakers drew Lawrence out of her 3rd Congressional District and split the Democratic stronghold of Wyandotte County into two districts in 2022. Davids won re-election by double digits again in 2024.
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 4:21 AM with the headline "Kansas won’t redraw its congressional map in 2026, top GOP lawmaker says."
