Missouri lawmakers have approved a new congressional map that could make an important difference in the balance of power in Washington.
On Sept. 12, Missouri’s state senate approved a measure that will split up the state’s urban Fifth Congressional District into three existing but newly redrawn districts. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, is expected to sign the legislation. The Missouri General Assembly’s House of Representatives approved the plan on Sept. 9.
The redistricting effort comes as states are trying to redraw voting districts mid-decade to preserve or expand Democratic or Republican representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Missouri currently holds eight congressional seats. Six are represented by Republicans and two by Democrats.
Missouri is the third state to pursue mid-decade redistricting for partisan purposes, following Texas and California. Other Republican-led states—including Indiana, Florida, and Ohio—are considering similar efforts.
Previously, Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District encompassed most of the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area. Going forward, the district will be absorbed into a new, mostly rural Fifth District in western-central Missouri south of the Missouri River; a redrawn, mostly rural Fourth District in western Missouri; and a redrawn, mostly rural Sixth District covering most of Missouri north of the Missouri River.
As Trump said, the new district boundaries will likely dilute the voting power of Kansas City-area Jackson County, Missouri, and make it more difficult for a member of the Democratic Party to carry the Fifth District in 2026. That would help the Republican Party, which currently holds a narrow 219 to 213 majority in the House.
On Sept. 11, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), who represents the Fifth District in Washington, took the extraordinary step of appearing before a Missouri Senate committee considering the bill. At the appearance, he said Kansas City voters won’t soon forget how Republicans manipulated the map in Jefferson City to gain a small edge in Washington.
At a press conference after the Thursday hearing, Cleaver told reporters he intends to run for reelection in 2026. The former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, has served in Washington for 20 years.
Legal Challenges
Opponents to the redistricting plan are expected to release a referendum petition that could force a statewide vote on the Congressional map approved on Friday.Along with other groups, like the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition and People Not Politicians, the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP has vowed to fight the redistricting in court.
On Sept. 3, the NAACP Missouri State Conference and other allied parties filed suit against the state, Kehoe, and other government officials challenging the validity of the session itself.
“The state constitution only allows these sessions under actual emergencies,” the NAACP statement said. “There is no court order. No census trigger. Just a political stunt dressed up as law.”
Representatives of the Missouri chapter of the NAACP, the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, and People Not Politicians did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.