Kansas population shifts could have national political repercussions
KATIE COOPER: During the 2018 midterm elections, Kansas’s 3rd congressional district elected a Native American, ex-MMA fighter, openly lesbian, community college graduate named Sharice Davids. The Democrat made history as the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to represent Kansas, and was also one of the first Native American women elected to Congress. The 2020 Census reported an increase in the population of her congressional district, thus redistricting efforts in Kansas may force Davids out of her seat.
Kansas’s 3rd congressional district is currently composed of Wyandotte, Johnson and parts of Miami counties. Wyandotte County, which is considered Kansas City, KS, is predominantly Democratic. Johnson County is a suburban area and is rather purple, as Democrat Joe Biden won this county with 52% of the vote in 2020. In contrast, Miami County is a rural Republican stronghold.
This district has already been redistricted to include portions of Miami County, yet Davids was still able to secure her historic victory against Kevin Yoder in the 2018 midterm election. She was elected to another term in the 2020 election, winning Wyandotte County by a margin of 37 points and Johnson County by a margin of 7 points, while losing portions of Miami County to Amanda Adkins by 37 points.
Davids’ district is currently overpopulated due to an influx of new residents moving to the suburbs of Kansas City between the 2010 and the 2020 Census. Given that Republicans are looking to regain a majority in the US house, this redistricting could have national consequences. Kansas Democrats fear that the blue Wyandotte County will be divided when Kansas is redistricted, leaving red portions of Miami County and a purple Johnson County in this district. Wyandotte County was an important factor in Davids’ historic victory in 2018 and also carried Davids to a second victory at the ballot box in 2020. While Davids was able to overcome the demographics of this district in 2018 and 2022, the demographic composition of a gerrymandered district would pose a much greater challenge.
Looking ahead to 2022, Democrats are looking to maintain and increase their majority in the House. Passing progressive legislation will require Democrats to win local races, and Kansas’s 3rd district will be an important battleground for Republicans looking to gain ground in the 2022 midterms.
But, the redistricting of this district, as well as with many other districts across the country, is at risk of being gerrymandered to achieve political goals. Gerrymandering is a threat to democracy, as political leaders take advantage of a necessary redistricting process to further their own agenda. In Kansas’s third congressional district, Republicans will have an implicit advantage in upcoming elections if Kansas House Republicans are able to eliminate Wyandotte County out of this district. To win an election in this new district, a Democratic candidate such as Davids would fight an uphill battle in soliciting enough votes from a historically red and purple area.
Therefore, the composition of the Kansas House and their influence on redistricting may have national political repercussions. If Kansas House Republicans succeed in gerrymandering this district, Democrats are at a greater risk of losing their majority in the House, making it more difficult for the Biden administration to pass legislation and follow through on campaign promises as President Biden nears the end of his first term.
Katie Cooper is the current Co-Social Media Director for On The Record. A sophomore in the School of Foreign Service majoring in International Political Economy with a double minor in International Development and Spanish, she is from Leawood, Kansas.