Republicans suffered another setback on Tuesday when the GOP-led Kansas Legislature abandoned its effort to redraw the state's congressional map.
The move could have added another Republican seat and bolstered the party's slim House majority.
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said Tuesday night he didn't gather enough support from the Republican caucus to force a special session on redistricting, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.
The special session, planned for Friday, would have bypassed Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly's refusal to call one.
President Donald Trump has made redrawing congressional maps in GOP-led states a key part of his agenda.
Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have collectively created up to nine more Republican-leaning seats, and Kansas would have added one more.
On Tuesday, California voters approved a ballot initiative giving Democrats temporary control over redrawing the state's congressional maps, stripping power from an independent redistricting commission until 2031.
The move, which already faces legal opposition, could offset many of the gains Republicans were expected to make through Trump's redistricting push.
But Hawkins' decision does not mean Kansas' redistricting effort is permanently closed.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said redistricting would be a "top priority" in January, when the Legislature begins its regular annual session, according to the Examiner.
Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature and can override a Kelly veto.
"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."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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