On Thursday, the 10 commissioners drawing the new senate maps shocked everyone with the map they presented. Many think it is the GOP trying to rid the ranks of the conservatives. One Democrat colleague commented to me, "What did your commissioners get promised to betray Republicans like they did. We would never put up with that treatment from Democrats."

They wiped out my district altogether and put it in the middle of KC. Since my district is up for election this year, it will pull out the Democrat vote in KC for Obama, McCaskill, Nixon and all the statewide Dems. It will also give the Dems another senator in the senate right away and take out a Republican conservative. They made Sen. Lembke's district almost unwinable.

The present map energizes voters in Democrat areas during presidential years and decimates the St. Louis area representation (one sure senate district rather than the present four) and therefore the donor base for all of us.

As Senator Luann Ridgeway pointed out, she and I are the only Republican women in the senate of 26 Republicans. She is termed out this year leaving me as the only woman left. Now they have taken me out leaving no assurance there will even be one Republican woman left in the Senate when they so desperately need to "sell" our party to women.

The commission that drew this map was made up of 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans. It is a dream map for Democrats and all but one Republican, Steve Ehlmann, voted with the Dems for the map.

PLEASE CONTACT ALL THE COMMISSIONERS BELOW. Our goal is to get four of these Republican Commissioners to vote 'no' on their final vote for the map. I believe that vote will take place on March 9th after this 15 day period to comment. If they vote 'no', we have a chance to get back to the acceptable and court approved "appellate map 2". Most feel that if they don't go for that, no judge could give us anything worse for the party than what we have. Also shore up Ehlmann. Don't assume he will stay a 'no'.

I have also added Lloyd Smith's contact information because he is the executive director for the MO Republican Party and he selected these guys. Notice there are no women.