The Missouri House passed legislation on Tuesday redrawing the state’s political map in a move to boost the Republican Party’s congressional power.
“This is a superior map. … It better represents the state of Missouri,” said state Rep. Dirk Deaton, who sponsored the proposed new congressional map. “The constitution is clear that we can alter districts as we desire at any point.”
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GOP lawmakers hope the new mid-decade redistricting plan will be on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R-MO) desk by the end of the week. The proposal now heads to the Republican-dominated state Senate for approval.
The plan, which would likely allow Republicans to pick up one House seat in the state, is part of a nationwide effort to bolster Republicans’ national prospects in next year’s House elections, in which Democrats need to gain three seats to take control of the lower chamber.
Redistricting efforts are taking place in multiple states after efforts in Texas to redraw the map gained national attention earlier this year. This sparked counterefforts from Democrats, particularly in California, to carry out similar plans to boost their party’s presence in the House ahead of the midterm elections in 2026.
In Missouri, the plan that state House lawmakers passed this week would redraw longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-MO) district, likely pushing him out of the seat. Cleaver’s seat is one of two consistently won by Democrats in Missouri, a deep-red state that backed President Donald Trump by double digits last year. The other seat is held by Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO).
Thirteen Republicans voted against the map in the final vote Tuesday, including Speaker Jon Patterson, the highest-ranking Republican in the Missouri House. Patterson represents part of Jackson County, which would be split up between three districts under the new map.
The redistricting effort in Missouri started in late August, when Kehoe called a special session to pursue the plan.
The measure was praised by Trump, who has pushed redistricting efforts nationwide and said the special session in Missouri would allow the “passage of a new, much fairer, and much improved, Congressional Map, that will give the incredible people of Missouri the tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
DEMOCRATS TAKE INSPIRATION FROM REPUBLICANS’ 2010 PLAYBOOK TO COUNTER REDISTRICTING EFFORTS
Democrats have fought the proposal and are expected to use legislative tactics such as the filibuster to stall its passage in the state Senate this week. The proposal has already been challenged by the Missouri NAACP, which filed a lawsuit last week arguing the governor’s decision to call a special session was unconstitutional due to arguments that redistricting efforts shouldn’t take place until a new census is completed.
Republicans have dismissed such concerns. Many have pushed redistricting efforts in part due to arguments that there were significant problems with how the 2020 census calculated districts, saying it resulted in unfair political maps.