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Missouri Legislature Passes Trump-Backed Map Targeting Cleaver’s Kansas City Seat

Opponents launched court challenges alongside a referendum bid to block the mid‑decade redraw.

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 approved the plan 21–11 after earlier House passage, sending the map to Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is expected to sign it into law.
  • The new lines would likely shift Missouri’s delegation from 6–2 to 7–1 Republican by extending Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s district into rural GOP areas and reducing Black and minority representation, including a division along Kansas City’s Troost Avenue.
  • Cleaver testified against the plan and said he will sue while also running for reelection regardless of the final district boundaries.
  • A coalition led by People Not Politicians began a referendum drive that could force a statewide vote, with opponents saying they have 90 days to gather the required signatures.
  • The move is part of a broader mid‑decade redistricting push encouraged by President Trump, following a GOP map in Texas and a Democratic counter sent to voters in California.