Summary
- Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe will sign a redistricting bill Sunday.
- New map eliminates one Democratic-leaning district in Kansas City.
- Missouri gains a new Republican-leaning congressional district.
- Total U.S. House seats for Missouri now seven.
Some Democrats claim that the state legislature's approval of the redistricting plan at a special session was unlawful.
“After a thorough bill review process with our team, I am prepared to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law. Missouri’s conservative, common-sense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that,”
Kehoe said:
President Donald Trump ordered the measure because he wants to put Republicans in a better position to hold onto the House in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The White House designed the map. This map was not drawn in Missouri,”
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said earlier this month. The new map eliminates his Kansas City-area district.
The Fifth District, which has generally been Democratic, is divided into three Republican-leaning districts by the new plan, which has received a lot of criticism. Democrats condemn it as an attempt to weaken Democratic voting power in the state through partisan gerrymandering.
How will the map affect Emanuel Cleaver's reelection chances?
His current Kansas City-based district, which leans Democratic and includes a significant Black voter population, will be dismantled and carved up, diluting the concentration of his core supporters.
The redistricting spreads Black and minority voters into multiple districts, reducing their influence in any single district.
The new map favors Republicans heavily, making Cleaver’s district more conservative and competitive, difficult terrain for a Democrat to win. Cleaver has vowed to challenge the map legally and intends to run for reelection, despite the tougher electoral landscape.