4 Ways Republicans Could Redistrict The Only Kansas Democrat In Congress Out Of A Job

TOPEKA, Kansas — When Republicans in Congress blocked debate on the Democratic-led elections overhaul bill last week, it dashed U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ hopes that her district could be redrawn by an independent commission.

Instead, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature looks poised to draw maps used for the 2022 election and likely to determine political careers for the next decade.

With a non-partisan panel charting the new districts based on the 2020 Census, Davids could expect to run for re-election in a district fairly similar to the one that elected her to the U.S. House twice.

With redistricting left to state lawmakers, the Republicans who dominate the Legislature have more freedom to gerrymander — the practice of manipulating a voting district to ensure a favorable outcome for one party. Davids told MSNBC in early June she’s worried that state Republicans are “saying, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, cheat ‘em.’”

Read more: https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-30/4-ways-republicans-could-redistrict-the-only-kansas-democrat-in-congress-out-of-a-job