KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri's leading anti-abortion group wants the General Assembly to redraw the state's congressional maps to maximize the number of Republicans elected, but key GOP lawmakers are balking at the idea.
Republicans often dictate a hard-right agenda in the legislature. But they now find themselves in a precarious position — to the potential benefit of Democrats — amid a redistricting process that will help determine who represents Missourians in Congress over the next 10 years.
Six vacancies in the House have cost Republicans their supermajority status and Gov. Mike Parson shows no sign yet of calling special elections to fill them. The openings mean that without highly unusual procedural maneuvering, Republicans will need the help of Democrats to implement new congressional maps before August primary elections.
For now, Republicans may have to say no to some of the party's most conservative members and traditional allies, who want the General Assembly to pass a map that allows the party to capture an additional seat in Congress by defeating U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who represents Kansas City.
The state currently has eight seats in the U.S. House, with six held by Republicans and two by Democrats.
"I mean, would I like a 7-1? Yes, but I don't think this building's capable of passing a 7-1 map," said Rep. Dan Shaul, an Imperial Republican who chairs the House Redistricting Committee.
A Monday hearing in the committee, over a proposed map sponsored by Shaul that would likely maintain the current 6-2 divide, illustrates the tensions among the party's factions. Susan Klein, director of Missouri Right to Life, pleaded with legislators to pass a 7-1 map.
"People have moved into Missouri because they have seen that Republicans have stood up and fought for our Republican values, our conservative values and we believe now is the time to take a position on a 7-1 map," Klein said.
But several Republicans on the committee weren't having it.
They raised concerns that pushing for a 7-1 map would lead to a federal court drawing new maps, potentially setting back the anti-abortion cause. Some doubted the Senate, often mired in gridlock, would even pass such a map.
One legislator worried targeting Democrats would further turn those in the party away from the anti-abortion movement.
"Every single thing you've been talking about is conflating pro-life with Republican and I have a problem with that," Rep. Shamed Dogan, a Ballwin Republican, told Klein. "To me, the pro-life movement and the pro-life cause is too important to just say that it's a partisan issue and anything we need to do to be pro-life we have to help the Republican Party. Those two causes are not one and the same."
Republicans calling for a 6-2 map warn that while their party might have enough members to pass a 7-1 map, they don't have enough members in the House to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to attach a so-called emergency clause, allowing the map to go into effect immediately. Laws passed without the clause take effect Aug. 28, well after the Feb. 22 deadline for candidates to file for office and the Aug. 2 primary election.
The six open seats in the House — the result of a death, an expulsion and resignations — leave Republicans one vote shy of a supermajority, giving Democrats additional leverage.
House Democrats have offered a map they say would likely lead to five Republican and three Democratic members of Congress. A 5-3 map remains unlikely, but they may be able to secure changes that make a 6-2 map more competitive.
"I think the 6-2 map that has been proposed is a good starting point. I can't say unequivocally we are 100% on board with it, I think obviously it's better than a 7-1 map, which is just ridiculous," Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said.
Rizzo said in offering a 6-2 map, Republicans have started from the "middle of the road." But he added he's willing to have talks about making the map better.
Parson's decision not to call special elections in the months leading up to the legislative session has left conservatives with a difficult hand. Even if elections were called now, they couldn't take place for weeks.
Klein and other Republicans who want a 7-1 map have floated the possibility of Parson calling a special session that would occur within the regular session. The procedural gymnastics would allow lawmakers to bypass the need for an emergency clause.
But Parson has given no sign he's weighing a special session.
"I've been asking for a special session since last summer," Shaul said. "My request would still be the same but I mean, I can keep asking but at some point I have to deal with the hand that's dealt me here."
The House Redistricting Committee could advance the map to the full House as soon as Wednesday, when the committee will also consider amendments.
"I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but with these amendments, it may bring me around," Rep. Jerome Barnes, a Raytown Democrat, said, alluding to the upcoming debate.
It's not clear what amendments legislators will end up proposing.
A representative of Cleaver, Phillip Scaglia, suggested lawmakers consider disruption to constituents when drawing maps. He called on lawmakers to consider maintaining the current split between the 5th and 6th congressional districts within Jackson County.
The proposed map would keep Jackson County whole within the 5th district except for the northeast portion of the county, which is in the 6th district. In the current map, the 6th district extends in a strip further south into the county, toward Lee's Summit. Scaglia emphasized that he was only offering information and didn't take a position on the map.
Officials and residents from Richmond, in Ray County, also asked lawmakers to not divide the city between the 6th and 4th congressional districts. It's currently in the 5th district, held by Cleaver.
"We really don't care which district we end up in as long as we can stay whole as a city," Mayor Mike Wright said.
