Missouri could soon find itself at the center of a national redistricting battle.
President Trump reportedly wants Missouri to change its Congressional districts so that Democrats lose a seat.
A political storm is brewing in Jefferson City as pressure mounts on Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special legislative session aimed at redrawing Missouri’s congressional map.
The conservative Missouri Freedom Caucus, backed by Republican Congressman Bob Onder, argues the state’s districts should better reflect its deep-red leanings.
Currently, Republicans hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats.
But Democrats, including House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, told Missourinet the push is a blatant power grab orchestrated by Donald Trump to secure Republican dominance ahead of the 2026 elections.
“What that would look like is a radical gerrymander of our state that would be done haphazardly out of turn from how we typically do it, which is every 10 years,” said Aune. “This would be frankly unprecedented as far as I can tell.”
Aune, D-Kansas City, said it is unclear whether the effort will move forward.
“It’s all happening so quickly,” said Aune. “I think folks across Missouri are scrambling to figure out how do we even make an argument against such an absurd proposal. Unfortunately, here in Missouri, with the Republican supermajority, if they want it, they’ll get it. That is just the sad reality here.”
House Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins, R-Bowling Green, said he’s still gathering information and is open to looking at any new information moving forward.
During a press conference in Jefferson City on Thursday, Missouri Legislative Black Caucus member David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, told reporters that people will talk about this moment 1.000 years from now.
” Did we sit back and let this unconstitutional outrage continue and a President who probably won’t leave if he if he maintains control (of) the (U.S.) House,” said Smith. “Or do we stand up and fight and say no?”
During the same press conference, Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chair Michael Johnson, D-Kansas City, said they will continue to fight.
” And here’s the thing about that fight. There are some Republicans, some of our Republican colleagues in this building, that don’t want to see this happen,” said Johnson. “And I know that for a fact right now.”
State Sen. Rusty Black R-Chillicothe tells Iowa radio station KMA even now, it’s probably as much in a rumor stage as anything.
“I haven’t received any real information from anybody in any form of leadership,” said Black. “I’ve just been reading the rumors about it.”
Black also told KMA that redrawing Missouri’s Congressional map would not be a quick and easy process.
“It won’t be as smooth a process as what some people might think, and if that does happen, as the rumors sound like, then it will certainly end up in the courts and somebody else will ultimately probably be making the decision rather than legislature,” said Black.
When speaking to reporters this week after an event in Columbia, Gov. Kehoe did not say if he would call a special session about redrawing the maps.
President Trump reportedly wants Missouri to change its Congressional districts so that Democrats lose a seat.
The state Legislature changed districts in 2022, drawing six Republican and two Democratic strongholds. Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for many government-related legal matters, told Missourinet, a 2012 Missouri Supreme Court case ruled the Constitution’s Congressional redistricting provision is triggered when Census data results are released.
“Then the Supreme Court said in that case the new districts will take effect for the next election and will remain in place for the next decade or until a Census shows that the district should change,” said Hatfield.
Hatfield told Missourinet, that some people want to change the districts before the 2026 election and said the Constitution does not specifically prohibit redistricting within a ten-year period.
“If you ever saw the movie Air Bud, there’s a big discussion about whether a dog can play basketball and the referee eventually says, ‘well, there’s no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball,” said Hatfield. “That’s not really how the law works. We don’t usually run things on Air Bud rules.”
Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, said she supports whatever decision Kehoe makes.
The two remaining Democrats in Congress are Emmanuel Cleaver of Kansas City and Wesley Bell of St. Louis City.
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