Missouri state Senate set to consider new congressional map that could help GOP flip a seat, as Dems plan protests
A new proposed congressional map in Missouri that could allow Republicans to flip at least one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has advanced through the state House -- but Democrats remain defiant.
The Missouri House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to pass the bill containing a new congressional map, first proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, over the objections of Democrats who say the map is racially discriminatory and an abuse of power. The state Senate is likely to hold hearings on the bill on Thursday and could pass it as soon as Friday.
Democrats and various outside groups who oppose the Republican-led effort are planning a day of protests in and around the state Capitol on Wednesday. One non-partisan coalition of anti-map advocates plans to lead what they claim will be a march that attracts thousands of people, while the national Democratic Party is also supporting a rally on Wednesday.
"The Democratic Party is united in our commitment to defend the American people against Republicans' war on their rights and their pocketbooks ... The Democratic Party is united in our commitment to defend the American people against Republicans' war on their rights and their pocketbooks," Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Missouri's entry into the mid-decade redistricting scramble encouraged by the White House has gotten praise from President Donald Trump.
Trump, in a post on his social media platform on Tuesday, praised the Missouri House passing the bill, saying "this new Map will give the wonderful people of Missouri the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections."
The president, who had openly advocated for Missouri and other GOP-led states to redraw their congressional maps, called on the Missouri Senate to pass it "AS IS."
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, whose district is targeted in the map, said Tuesday at a press conference on Capitol Hill alongside the Congressional Black Caucus that the new maps were "monumentally unpopular."
"We are at a moment where there are powers trying to place this nation into the 1950s. They're trying to reverse the direction of the country … and I don't know if people realize the damage and danger of what's going on," Cleaver added.
Missouri House Democrats sounded a sad and defiant note in a press conference Tuesday, acknowledging they had no real way to stop the vote but arguing that the fight continues in the state Senate and beyond.
"We knew coming into this special session, we would lose. We knew that, but we showed up, and we will keep showing up, because the fight didn't end today. There's a lot of fight left. Missouri is just the latest, but it's happening all over the country," state House Minority Leader Ashley Aune told reporters.
Aune said she expects the map to go to a citizens referendum as soon as it passes the Senate. According to St. Louis Public Radio, opponents of the bill can try to gather enough signatures in most of the state's congressional districts to force a statewide vote on the bill, although there are no guarantees this will be successful.
During Tuesday's debate on the bill in the House, Republicans defended their authority to redraw congressional districts mid-decade.
"We may alter districts at any point. Being the case, it is totally appropriate this body, feeling this is a superior map to the current one, would pass it," state Rep. Dirk Deaton, who sponsored the bill, said.
"Republicans do a better job of governance, both at the local level, the state level and the federal level. This is a great opportunity to see the districts more adequately represented in our federal government. We are a conservative state … we are a conservative state, and the voters of Missouri have elected that form of governance time and time again," Rep. Brian Seitz said.
