Legislature sends redistricting plan to Gov. Kehoe as Democrats launch court and ballot challenges

Missouri Republicans delivered a strategic win for former President Donald Trump on Friday, passing a mid-decade U.S. House map that could turn the state’s 6-2 GOP edge into a 7-1 delegation as soon as 2026. Gov. Mike Kehoe says he will sign it, while opponents immediately began a referendum drive to put the map on the ballot. Missouri becomes the third state this year to revisit post-2020 lines, with national stakes clear as Democrats need just three seats to seize the House and obstruct Trump’s agenda. Trump praised the plan online as a much fairer, much improved map that boosts another MAGA Republican.

A cleaner map and a clearer mandate

Republicans say the plan produces a more coherent map that splits fewer counties and municipalities while reflecting Missouri’s conservative majority. Kehoe frames it as amplifying conservative, common-sense values in Washington. The same special session advanced a separate change to citizen-initiated amendments that would require approval in every congressional district rather than a simple statewide majority, an unprecedented standard that still needs voter ratification.

Targeting a Democratic stronghold

The revision zeros in on Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City seat, trimming its urban core and stretching it roughly 180 miles into GOP-leaning rural territory. The plan reduces the share of Black and minority residents in the district, with part of the new boundary following a street long viewed as a racial dividing line. Cleaver, a former Kansas City mayor who twice won reelection with over 60 percent under the post-2020 map, vows to sue and run again. Multiple lawsuits argue mid-decade redistricting violates the Missouri Constitution, while sponsors note the plan splits fewer localities and GOP leaders say it strengthens Missouri’s conservative voice and fairly represents residents.

Next moves, signatures and suits

People Not Politicians says it will collect more than 100,000 signatures within 90 days to force a statewide vote, insisting Missouri voters, not politicians, will have the final say. A hearing is set Monday in an NAACP case, one of several legal challenges filed within hours of passage.

Why it matters

If the map stands, Republicans gain a realistic pickup while Democrats lose a safe harbor. In a closely divided Congress, even one seat can bolster an agenda of restrained spending, secure borders and a foreign policy rooted in strength. Missouri just signaled that maps should follow voters and values, not protect incumbents.