Kansas' Only LGBT Congressmember Would Lose Her Seat With GOP Redistricting
Congress from Kansas is at risk of losing her seat under a Republican redistricting plan that critics say would dilute the voting power of the state's minority populations.Kansas Democratic Representative Sharice Davids faces a difficult reelection path under the GOP's redistricting map that would split her Kansas City-based district with more rural and conservative areas.
Like other redistricting plans in Republican-controlled states, the map is being challenged in court. The outcome of this legal fight and others could determine what Congress looks like following the 2022 midterm elections."We are seeing these anti-LGBTQ forces trying to erase out representation," Cesar Toledo, deputy political director of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, told LGBTQ Nation.Earlier this month, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the redrawn districts approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature following the 2020 Census.
Kelly, a Democrat, said the maps ignored longstanding "communities of interest" while violating legal guidelines ensuring that the redistricting process doesn't dilute "minority communities' voting strength."After the Republican Legislature overrode her veto, the redrawn maps were challenged in court by the ACLU of Kansas.
