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2d ago

Missouri Legislature Passes Trump-Backed Map, Sends It to Gov. Kehoe

Legal challenges, including a referendum bid, could determine whether the new lines govern the 2026 races.

Protestors gather in the rotunda to protest a redistricting plan that would split Kansas City into three districts on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at the Missouri State Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. (Yong Li Xuan/Missourian via AP)
Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver waits to speak against a proposed congressional redistricting plan at a state Senate committee hearing on Friday, Sept. 11, 2025 in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Overview

  • The Senate voted 21-11 to give final approval after a House vote earlier in the week during a special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is expected to sign the plan.
  • The map targets Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district by shifting it into Republican-leaning rural areas, positioning Republicans for a likely 7-1 edge in Missouri’s U.S. House delegation.
  • Cleaver condemned the use of Kansas City’s Troost Avenue as a dividing line, arguing it dilutes Black and minority voting power, and he pledged to sue while running for reelection in 2026.
  • Opponents filed a lawsuit Friday in Cole County and launched a referendum petition, which would require signatures within 90 days of the governor’s signature to force a statewide vote.
  • President Trump pressed lawmakers to advance the plan and praised its passage, as Missouri joins Texas and California in a broader mid-decade fight over congressional maps ahead of 2026.