BY MORGAN CHILSON
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins acknowledged Tuesday that he didn’t gather enough support from his Republican caucus to force a special session on Friday as planned.
Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson have worked for the past two months to get two-thirds of both chambers to sign a petition for a special session, where they could then redraw congressional maps to try to drive Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office. Masterson previously announced he had the necessary signatures from Senate Republicans.
But a handful of House Republicans refused to join the effort, despite overtures from leadership about other topics that could come up during a special session.
On Tuesday, under the headline “countdown to Jan. 12th,” Hawkins issued a news release that said planning a special session is an “uphill battle” because of challenges with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts and other factors.
“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 health care, know the difference between a man and a woman, and wish to have a conversation about redistricting,” Hawkins said.
Masterson said in a statement Tuesday the Senate would “continue to deliver” for President Donald Trump, who initiated a multistate fight for a political advantage through gerrymandering.
“President Trump asked Republicans to fight for fair maps and for America’s future,” Masterson said. “We did our part — and we’ll keep leading the charge here in Kansas.”
Earlier in the day, Davids indicated she could be interested in a run for U.S. Senate if redistricting occurs. Redistricting efforts could continue when the Legislature convenes in January.
She was pleased to hear the special session would not occur.
“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. 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 on Monday reported that Davids met with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, last week to discuss the possibility of a Senate campaign and to “garner advice from a lawmaker who’s transitioned from the lower chamber to the upper one.”
On a press call discussing the ending of Affordable Care Act subsidies Tuesday afternoon, Davids would only reiterate former statements that her decision hinges at least in part on whether Kansas legislators push for redistricting.
“I’ll just say that if they move forward with this, I haven’t taken any options off the table about what I’ll do next,” she said. “I want to continue to do what I can to bring the voices and needs of Kansans to Congress.
“Right now, it is unclear what’s going to happen with the redistricting,” Davids said. “I am focusing on trying to make sure that the Kansas legislature doesn’t move forward on redistricting because it is actually just bad for the state.”