How to split southwest MO? Lawmakers at odds in latest congressional redistricting attempt
Galen BacharierJEFFERSON CITY — An eleventh-hour push to draw new congressional districts by the Missouri legislature has divided members representing southwest Missouri.
The latest redistricting rendition, debated and passed by the House on Monday, is an attempt to compromise with a Senate that has for months been at odds about how to draw new lines. It splits Webster County (directly east of Greene County) in half between two districts, and includes Taney County (where Branson is located) entirely within the southwest 7th district.
There have been no easy negotiations during the redistricting process in Missouri, which is the last state to go without passing a new map. But the newest iteration drew a new round of frustration from lawmakers in southwest Missouri, who found themselves divided about how the 7th district would be drawn.
Rep. John Black, a Marshfield Republican, proposed an amendment that would restore the entirety of Webster County to the 7th district. He argued that Webster was directly connected to Greene County — geographically and culturally — and should thus be represented by the same congressperson.
"Springfield is the hub of the 7th district," Black said. "Webster is adjacent."
His amendment earned the support of Springfield Republican Reps. Craig Fishel and Curtis Trent. Trent, who is running for a Senate seat that includes both Webster and Greene counties, cited the "economic and family ties" between the counties.
Webster County Clerk Stanley Whitehurst and former Sen. Mike Cunningham, who represented the county, both testified last week for informational purposes about the new map.
Redistricting in Missouri:Map splitting Columbia & Marshfield in limbo as Senate rejects talks with House
Black's amendment and sentiments from Springfield lawmakers drew the ire of Rep. Brian Seitz, a Branson Republican, whose county would be split under the proposal.
"I've heard a lot of talk in the last few minutes that I really don't appreciate," Seitz said. "Taney County is not a pizza, or a piece of cake."
In the end, Black's amendment failed to pass, and the House passed the slightly altered proposal by Republican Rep. Dan Shaul of Imperial, the chair of the House redistricting committee. But that passage didn't come without the airing of grievances from lawmakers, both in southwest Missouri and elsewhere, about the lengthy and complex process.
"Everyone controlling this process seems to be afraid of going to conference and losing control," Trent said. "I've observed individual people targeted, and the people who should have protected them and should have upheld the process decided to look the other way because it served their interests."
The map passed by the House on Monday also splits Boone County in mid-Missouri. It is likely to retain the existing partisan alignment of six Republicans and two Democrats.
An earlier map, passed by the Senate but rejected by the House, also split Webster County — directly through the city of Marshfield. It split Taney County, stopping the 7th district just east of Branson and putting the remainder of the county in the southeast 8th district.
Redistricting in Missouri:Map battle stirs tension in 7th district GOP primary
That map also had its detractors. Cunningham, the former state senator, was frustrated by the Marshfield split, called it a "brazen attack" and criticized two southwest Missouri senators over their alleged influence over the decision. Those two, Sens. Eric Burlison of Battlefield and Mike Moon of Ash Grove, are both running for Congress and have denied any influence, arguing that Cunningham has also acted politically.
Senators who have held up progress on previous maps have indicated this one could meet a similar fate. Sen. Bob Onder, de facto head of the Senate Conservative Caucus, said on the floor Tuesday that "this session is over when the maps come up." A committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the map Wednesday at noon.
The legislature has to finalize a map by the end of the legislative session Friday at 6 p.m. Lawsuits have been filed in both state and federal courts asking judges to step in and draw the lines, which will proceed if lawmakers fail to do so this week.
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.