Overview

• Gov. Mike Kehoe on Sunday signed a mid-decade congressional map that splits Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City–based 5th District by adding Republican-leaning rural areas.
• Analyses say the new lines are likely to flip Cleaver’s seat and could give Republicans a 7–1 edge in Missouri’s U.S. House delegation.
• The legislature approved the map in a Kehoe-called special session, with the Senate voting 21–11, and the signing took place in a closed ceremony.
• Multiple lawsuits have been filed, including challenges by the Campaign Legal Center, the NAACP and the ACLU, citing constitutional, procedural and Voting Rights Act concerns.
• Opponents launched a referendum drive with a Dec. 11 deadline to gather roughly 110,000 valid signatures, and the DNC says it supports the effort, with Salon reporting the national party is funding organizers and volunteer outreach.