Missouri GOP Plans Redistricting Special Session to Boost Republican Control

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has called a special legislative session to implement a new congressional redistricting plan aimed at flipping the state's 5th District, currently held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, to Republican control. The GOP-backed map would split Kansas City, a Democratic stronghold, into three solidly Republican districts, significantly altering the political landscape and potentially increasing Republican representation in Congress. Democrats oppose the mid-decade redistricting, calling it a partisan move and highlighting legal challenges, as state law traditionally restricts redistricting to once per decade following the census. Alongside redistricting, the session will consider measures to make it more difficult for citizens to amend the state constitution through initiative petitions, a long-standing GOP goal. Unlike Texas Democrats who fled to block redistricting, Missouri Democrats are unable to use quorum denial due to the Republican supermajority, but they are coordinating with other states facing similar challenges. The political battle is expected to be contentious, with protests planned and legal experts questioning the constitutionality of the mid-term redistricting effort.