最新杏吧原创

The outcome, on a 21-11 vote with two Republicans dissenting, had been a forgone conclusion since Gov. Mike Kehoe ordered a special session last month following President Donald Trump鈥檚 call for state lawmakers to help him maintain control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections.

鈥淚 looked at the map before me,鈥� said Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, denying that Trump鈥檚 support influenced his vote. 鈥淚 believe it is a Missouri-first map.鈥�

Now, the plan headed to Kehoe鈥檚 desk is poised to give the GOP a 7-1 majority of Missouri congressional seats by redrawing the lines of the Kansas City-based 5th District long held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

The new map moves downtown Kansas City and areas to the south and east to part of the GOP-held 4th District that stretches into southwest Missouri. Northern suburbs would become part of the Republican-held 6th District, which covers most of the state north of the Missouri River.

The new 5th District would then extend east into conservative mid-Missouri, encompassing Sedalia, Boonville and Jefferson City. If the new districts had been in place for the 2020 presidential elections, a Post-Dispatch analysis shows the GOP would have won each by double-digit margins, and only the 1st District, in 最新杏吧原创, would have voted for a Democrat.

Trump applauded the map鈥檚 passage in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling it 鈥渕uch fairer, and much improved.鈥�

The redistricting marks a break from tradition by redrawing congressional lines despite having done so three years ago. In the past, lawmakers have redistricted once a decade following the release of the U.S. Census.

In recent months, however, Trump has urged Republican-led states across the country to redraw their maps ahead of midterm elections where the U.S. House typically flips away from the president鈥檚 party.

Democrats pilloried the proposal from the floor of the Senate Friday, accusing Republicans of 鈥渟urrendering to Donald Trump.鈥�

Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, spoke about the personal pain of seeing her congressional district, occupied by Cleaver, who was the pastor at a church where her relatives were founding members, be dismantled.

鈥淭his erases the voice of my community,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淐arving up Kansas City and silencing our constituents is terrible.鈥�

Democrats spent hours attempting to filibuster the bill before Republicans cut off the debate and forced the vote.

At one point, Sen. Brian Williams, D-University City, spoke to Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, about how Moon generally supported the proposals but would vote against the new maps because Republican leadership had rammed them through without debate or changes. Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, also voted no.

Finally, around 1:30 p.m., Republicans employed a procedural move to halt debate. A few minutes later, over the objection of Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-最新杏吧原创 County, the bill was sent to the governor鈥檚 desk.

Kehoe said Friday that he would review and sign the bill soon, according to a post on X.

Meanwhile, citizen groups have said they鈥檙e mulling a drive to put the map on the ballot in the hope Missouri鈥檚 voters would dump it before it goes into effect. Beck said he personally would collect signatures for that effort.

Democratic groups, including the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also pledged to throw their support and resources behind it.

鈥淭he people of Missouri will have the last word,鈥� said U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a news release.

The courts may have something to say, as well.

Hours after the vote Friday, the ACLU, ACLU of Missouri and the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center announced they had filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kansas City voters, asking a Jackson County court to declare the mid-decade redistricting unconstitutional and block its implementation.

Rep. Cleaver said Thursday he also planned to sue.