Missouri’s political landscape is bracing for a seismic shift as Republican Governor Mike Kehoe calls lawmakers back to Jefferson City for a special legislative session on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. The prime agenda: redrawing the state’s congressional districts—a move that could tip the state’s U.S. House delegation even further in the GOP’s favor. The session, announced just hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a similarly partisan map into law, signals Missouri’s entry into a high-stakes, mid-decade redistricting battle that’s rapidly becoming a national trend.
Currently, Missouri sends six Republicans and two Democrats to Congress. At the heart of the controversy is Kansas City’s 5th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver since 2004. The proposed “Missouri First Map,” unveiled by Kehoe, would significantly alter the district’s boundaries, stretching it eastward into more rural, conservative areas. This strategic redraw could potentially flip Cleaver’s seat, giving Republicans a 7-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation.
Governor Kehoe framed the redistricting effort as a matter of principle and transparency. “This is about clarity for voters and ownership of our future, and I hope the legislature will work together to pass our Missouri First Map and critically needed IP reform,” Kehoe declared, as reported by Fox 2 News and ABC News. The session will also tackle another conservative priority: reforming the state’s initiative petition (IP) process, making it harder for voters to amend the Missouri constitution through grassroots campaigns. Kehoe has signaled his intent to propose a constitutional amendment for the 2026 ballot to achieve this goal.
The timing of Missouri’s move is no accident. It comes in the wake of Texas’s aggressive redistricting, which could add up to five new Republican seats in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump has publicly encouraged Republican-led states to seize the moment and redraw political boundaries to cement GOP control. “The Great State of Missouri is now IN,” Trump posted on social media, adding, “I’m not surprised. It is a great State with fabulous people. I won it, all 3 times, in a landslide. We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!”
Missouri is now the third state to pursue this kind of mid-decade redistricting, following the partisan chess moves in Texas and California. In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing for a map designed to bolster his party’s chances, hoping to counterbalance Republican gains elsewhere. Yet, as Townhall pointed out, Democratic threats to redraw maps in deep-blue states like Massachusetts may have little practical effect, given the lack of competitive seats to flip. In contrast, Missouri’s move could have real national implications, especially with the House majority up for grabs in 2026.
Critics, however, are not mincing words. Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan blasted the effort as “an alarming abuse of power and a blatant attempt to rig the electoral map for partisan gain.” Carnahan further warned, “This isn’t just about one district—it’s about whether Missouri voters get to choose their representatives, or whether politicians get to rig the rules to choose their voters.” Representative Cleaver, whose seat is directly in the crosshairs, vowed to fight the redistricting both in court and at the ballot box. “I will not surrender the voices of the people who entrusted me to fight for them,” Cleaver stated. “In the courts and at the ballot box, we will demand that the rule of law is upheld, our voices are heard, and democracy prevails.”
Democratic leaders see this as part of a broader, coordinated Republican strategy. Fundraising alerts have been sent out, urging supporters to rally against what they describe as a power grab. Some, like state House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, have gone so far as to accuse Kehoe of being a mere instrument of Trump’s will. “The governor’s complete capitulation to the president’s will proves that Donald Trump—not Mike Kehoe—calls the shots in Missouri, while the man Missourians elected to lead our state is a mere puppet responding to his master’s commands,” Aune charged, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Proponents of the redistricting effort argue that gerrymandering is simply part of the political process—a tool used by both parties when in power. As Townhall editorialized, “Gerrymandering is legal. Both parties do it. It’s time to obliterate the Democrats, who cannot win this fight.” Kehoe, for his part, insists that the new map will split counties and towns less than the current one and will preserve two districts as they are, aiming for what he calls a more rational and representative layout.
The special session is set to overlap with Missouri’s scheduled September 10 veto session, adding another layer of urgency and complexity. Lawmakers will have to navigate not only the technical and legal aspects of redistricting but also the intense partisan pressures and national scrutiny. The outcome could reverberate far beyond Missouri’s borders, influencing the balance of power in Washington and setting precedents for other states considering mid-decade redistricting.
Missouri’s current congressional map was drawn after the 2020 census, as is customary, but the push for a mid-decade redraw highlights the increasingly aggressive tactics both parties are willing to employ. While Republicans see an opportunity to maximize their advantage ahead of a crucial election cycle, Democrats warn of a dangerous erosion of democratic norms. The debate over the initiative petition process adds another wrinkle, with conservatives seeking to make it more difficult for citizen-led amendments to reach the ballot—potentially curbing progressive policy efforts in the future.
Legal challenges are almost certain, with Democrats signaling plans to contest any map they view as unfairly partisan. The courts may ultimately decide whether Missouri’s new districts stand, but the political battle is already well underway. With President Trump’s endorsement and a Republican supermajority in the state legislature, the GOP appears poised to push their plan through—unless Democrats can mount a successful legal or electoral resistance.
As the special session gets underway, all eyes will be on Jefferson City. The outcome will shape not just Missouri’s political future, but could also influence the national fight for control of Congress in 2026. For now, the only certainty is that the stakes could hardly be higher—and the battle over who draws the lines is far from over.
