Missouri Senate Approves GOP-Favored Map Challenged by Referendum

Missouri Republicans have passed a new congressional redistricting plan, supported by President Donald Trump and Governor Mike Kehoe, designed to favor the GOP and potentially secure seven of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. The plan notably targets Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's district in Kansas City by splitting it and extending it into heavily Republican rural areas, reducing the number of Black and minority voters and drawing a boundary along a historic segregation line. Democrats have strongly opposed the map, calling it a partisan power grab that dilutes minority voting power, and have launched protests, filed lawsuits, and initiated a referendum petition to challenge the new lines. This move is part of a broader national trend of mid-decade redistricting efforts by both parties, with Texas Republicans and California Democrats pursuing similar strategies to alter congressional representation ahead of the next elections. The outcome of these efforts is critical, as Democrats need to gain three seats to regain control of the House and potentially block President Trump's agenda. Despite opposition, the GOP supermajority in Missouri’s legislature has pushed the plan through, underscoring the intense partisan battles shaping electoral maps nationwide.