Missouri’s Republican-controlled Senate on Friday passed a new congressional map, taking final legislative action to target one of the state’s Democratic seats in the US House and boost the GOP’s chances of retaining its fragile majority in the chamber.
The 21-11 vote came just two weeks after the state’s GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe first unveiled the map and ordered a special legislative session to approve it. It targets longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by carving up his Kansas City-area district and stretching its boundaries into rural, Republican-friendly areas of central Missouri.
Cleaver has pledged to fight the map in court and has said he plans to seek reelection. Opponents also intend to attempt to put the map before voters in the form of a referendum. They have 90 days after the map is signed into law to collect the signatures needed to force a statewide vote.
Missouri is the latest state to undertake a mid-decade redistricting as part of an extraordinary, multi-state campaign by President Donald Trump and his allies to preserve the balance of power in the House by changing district lines.
Republicans hope to win seven of Missouri’s eight congressional seats under the new map in next year’s midterm elections. The GOP currently controls six seats, and Democrats hold two.
This week, Trump reiterated his demand for new maps in Missouri, writing on Truth Social that the state Senate “must pass this Map now, AS IS, to deliver a gigantic Victory for Republicans in the “Show Me State,” and across the Country. I will be watching closely.”
Democrats in the state legislature fiercely opposed the changes but could do little to stop or slow its passage because Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.
Democratic state Sen. Stephen Webber argued during floor debate Friday that Republicans were surrendering their independence and bending to Trump’s will. “We’re no longer the ‘Show Me State,’” he said, referring the state’s motto. “We’re the ‘Yes, sir state.’”
Democratic state Sen. Barbara Washington of Kansas City called the map a “blatant political attack.”
“This erases the voice of our community,” she said, her voice rising with emotion. “Carving up Kansas City and silencing our constituents is terrible.”
No Republican senators spoke in favor of the new lines Friday, but during the course of the special session, several GOP lawmakers argued that the map was fair. They repeatedly maintained it had originated with Kehoe’s office.
A group called People Not Politicians said they would file paperwork to kick off the referendum process Friday. “This fight is not over. Missouri voters — not politicians — will have the final say,” spokesperson Elsa Rainey said in a statement.
Missouri is the third state in recent weeks to undertake a redistricting effort. Last month, the GOP-controlled legislature in Texas redrew lines with the goal of helping Republicans pick up five additional seats. Democrats in California have responded with their own revised map that aims to flip five Republican-held seats. It must be approved by voters this fall. Trump’s allies are weighing new maps in other states, including Florida, Kansas and Indiana. Republican lawmakers in Indiana met behind closed doors this week to discuss options, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Democratic governors in Illinois, New York and Maryland, meanwhile, have indicated they might respond with changes of their own to benefit their party. Should Democrats win control of the US House, the party would have the power to block Trump’s agenda and launch investigations into him and the actions of his administration during the final two years he’s in the Oval Office.
Typically, states carry out redistricting once every decade after the Census to account for population shifts and ensure that each congressional and state legislative district holds roughly the same number of people.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
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