Topeka ? A bipartisan coalition rewrote a Senate redistricting bill Wednesday, leaving some Republicans stunned that a certain victory had eluded them.

The Senate voted 21-19 for a plan drafted by Ed Pugh, R-Wamego, to redraw the 40 districts . His proposal replaced a bill endorsed by the Reapportionment Committee and backed by many GOP senators, including President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson.

A key difference in the two plans was the treatment of Sen. Janis Lee, D-Kensington. The committee’s plan put her in a district with Sen. Stan Clark, R-Oakley. The Pugh plan pairs Lee with Sen. Larry Salmans, R-Hanston, which Democrats deemed more helpful to her.

After amending the bill, senators gave it first-round approval on an unrecorded 20-18 vote. Final action was scheduled today, giving Kerr and his allies time to lobby their colleagues.

Kerr said he did not know if the bill will pass today.

The Pugh plan had the support of all 10 Democrats and 11 of the 30 Republicans, including Majority Leader Lana Oleen.

Some Republicans were furious that Oleen, R-Manhattan, joined with the minority party. Kerr and others also were upset because they hadn’t seen Pugh’s plan before.

“There was an unholy alliance between the majority leader and the minority leader,” said Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence.

Oleen said she supported Pugh’s plan because she thinks the Lee-Salmans pairing is fairer than the Lee-Clark one. But she said some changes in the redistricting bill weren’t discussed during the debate.

“That may cause some of us to rethink our positions,” Oleen said. “I don’t know that I’m rethinking, but I’m thinking.”

Legislators must redraw Senate districts to account for population shifts in over the past decade. The new boundaries will be in effect for the next Senate elections in 2004.

Democrats wanted to avoid any pairing for Lee, but accepted the Pugh proposal because they thought it more favorable than the committee’s map.

Lee and Clark had drafted a plan pairing no incumbents in a single district. Clark offered it but it failed, 16-24.

“This vote will be the definitive vote for the next 10 years on where you stand in rural Kansas,” he said.

Some rural senators said the Pugh proposal also was their second choice but still better than the committee version because of the way it drew new lines in rural areas.

Democrats were not entirely happy with Pugh’s plan because Lee still was paired with another senator in the next election. Lee wouldn’t comment after the debate.