In Kansas and elsewhere, some state lawmakers are skeptical of the redistricting rush

Source: NPR

November 14, 2025 2:29 PM ET


In September, Kansas Republican leaders said they wanted to join the national redistricting battle, initiated by President Trump, for control of the U.S. House. But even in a state that went for Trump by 16 percentage points in 2024, Republicans could not rally enough support this fall for a special session on redistricting.

"I haven't heard a good reason yet to vote for it," said Mark Schreiber, one of 10 Republican holdouts in the Kansas state House. "To me that's not the purpose of redistricting. It's not used as a political tool to increase your majority, it's to adjust for population changes."

Other Republican-led states — like Missouri, North Carolina and Texas — have heeded Trump's call for new congressional maps boosting the GOP. Last week, California voters approved new districts favoring Democrats. But Kansas' false start was just one example of lawmakers pushing back against a new round of partisan gerrymanders.

Republicans in Indiana and Democrats in Maryland have faced scorn from party leaders for speaking out against proposed redraws. And in Ohio, where many expected Republicans to enact a severe gerrymander, a bipartisan deal resulted in a map that moderately advantaged the GOP.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5601054/kansas-redistricting-republican-trump