Missouri has become the third state to embrace a mid-decade redesign of its U.S. House districts in a quest for partisan advantage. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Sunday signed into law a new redistricting plan urged by President Donald Trump that could help Republicans win an additional seat in next year's elections. That comes after similar actions by lawmakers in Republican-led Texas and Democratic-led California. The California plan still needs voter approval. And opponents in Missouri are pursuing a referendum petition seeking to force a statewide vote on the revised map. Other states also are considering taking up redistricting.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed a new congressional map into law that gives Republicans an improved shot at winning an additional U.S. House seat. The mid-decade redistricting is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim majority in next year’s congressional elections. But opponents are leading a referendum petition to try to force a statewide vote on the new map. Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats. The revised map targets a district represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by splitting off segments and stretching the remainder of the district into Republican-heavy rural areas.
Missouri governor signs Trump-backed redistricting plan aimed at gaining another Republican seat in Congress.
As mid-cycle redistricting advances in several states, former Secretary of Transportation and Democratic commentator Pete Buttigieg returned to his home state of Indiana Thursday to rally against GOP efforts there to redraw the congressional map. Buttigieg, who was mayor of South Bend, Indiana, before he ran for president in 2020, is a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. While lawmakers in California, Texas and Missouri have voted to advance new congressional maps, Indiana Republican lawmakers have been much more hesitant to take action. President Donald Trump wants Republican states to redraw their maps to try and offset losses in the 2026 midterm election, which typically favor the party opposite to the one in power.
President Donald Trump’s call to redraw U.S. House districts before the 2026 elections has led to a wave of political maneuvering among state-level Republicans and Democrats. Texas Republicans were the first to take up redistricting intended to help their party win more seats. Then came Democratic-led California and Republican-led Missouri. More states could be following, including Republican-led Indiana. Redistricting typically occurs once a decade, after each census. The current mid-decade redistricting is being driven partly by the close political margins in Congress. Democrats need to gain just three seats in next year's elections to take control of the House from Republicans.
Republicans in Texas and Missouri have redrawn congressional districts to help their party in the 2026 midterm elections. The Republicans aren't hiding their partisan purpose after being urged on by President Donald Trump. The GOP has manipulated how many nonwhite voters are distributed across congressional districts in the two states. That has civil rights advocates and Black voters worried Trump's efforts will leave Black citizens without adequate representation in Congress. In Kansas City, Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's district has been spliced into three districts. That raises the chances Kansas City residents will no longer have a local representative on Capitol Hill. The NAACP is suing to block new maps in Texas and Missouri.
Missouri Senate passes Trump-backed plan that could help Republicans win an additional US House seat
The Missouri Senate has passed a plan backed by President Donald Trump that could help Republicans win an additional U.S. House seat. The Senate’s vote Friday sends the measure to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe for his expected signature. But opponents immediately announced a referendum petition that could force a statewide vote on the new map. Missouri is the third state to take up congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections. Republicans in Texas passed a new House map aimed at winning five more seats. Democrats in California countered with their own redistricting plan aimed at picking up five seats, but it still needs voter approval.
Missouri Senate passes Trump-backed redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional US House seat.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver is warning Missouri lawmakers that a redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump is reopening racial divisions in Kansas City. On Thursday, Cleaver flew from Washington to Missouri to oppose the Republican plan, which could reshape his district to favor Republicans. Missouri's Senate is expected to approve the plan as soon as Friday. Cleaver, who was Kansas City's first Black mayor, criticized the revised congressional map for using a major city street that has historically segregated Black and white residents as a dividing line. He plans to challenge the map in court and seek reelection, despite the changes.
Missouri's Republican-led House has passed a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts at the urging of President Donald Trump. The plan approved Tuesday now moves to the state Senate and could give Republicans a shot at winning almost all of Missouri's U.S. House seats. The mid-decade redistricting is part of an emerging national trend, following similar efforts in Republican-led Texas and Democratic-led California. Missouri's plan targets a Kansas City district held by a Democratic congressman by stretching it into rural Republican areas and reducing its minority voters. The Missouri NAACP has sued to try to stop the special legislative session.