KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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Missouri legislators will decide whether to change the boundaries of the state’s U.S. congressional districts to help more Republicans win seats in Washington, DC.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced late Friday afternoon that he will convene a special session of the General Assembly at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
“Today, I am calling on the General Assembly to take action on congressional redistricting and initiative petition reform to ensure our districts and Constitution truly put Missouri values first,” Kehoe said in the release. “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.”
Here is a map of the proposed redistricting:
Additional versions of the map are available online.
“Missouri’s conservative, common-sense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that," Kehoe said.
Moments after Kehoe called the session, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D - 5th District) issued a statement describing the effort as "truth under assault."
"The people of the Fifth District and I will fight relentlessly to ensure Missouri never becomes an antidemocratic state, where politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives," Cleaver said in the statement. "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."
Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune (D - Kansas City) released a statement late Friday calling Kehoe's proposal "electoral sabotage."
"Trump puppet Mike Kehoe's calling of a special session to steal a congressional seat for Republicans and gut Missourian's constitutional rights to enact laws through the initiative process marks the worst threat to the integrity of our state government since pro-slavery lawmakers voted for Missouri to join the Confederacy in 1861," Aune said. "Missourians will not tolerate acts of electoral sabotage from their leaders nor silently allow Republicans to seize more power."
Just as significant as the proposed redistricting maps, Kehoe's call for a special session asks legislators to make changes to the state's voter initiative process.
Under Kehoe's proposal, voter-driven initiative processes would pass only if the item received a majority both statewide and in each congressional district. It would require a public comment period before a statewide ballot measure is certified for signatures to be gathered. It would criminalize fraudulently signing or gathering signatures for a statewide ballot measure. It would ban foreign nationals from contributing to committees for or against a statewide ballot measure.
It would also require that the full text of a statewide ballot measure be printed and available to voters at all election sites and polling places.
"For far too long, Missouri's Constitution has been the victim of out-of-state special interests who deceive voters to pass out-of-touch policies," Kehoe said. "It's time we give voters a chance to protect our constitution."
The Missouri Democratic Party called Kehoe's proposals as "overturning the will of voters."
"This move represents an alarming abuse of power and a blatant attempt to rig the electoral map for partisan gain," Missouri Democratic Party Chair Russ Carnahan said in a release. "Missourians deserve better from their elected officials for pushing for these changes."
Currently, six of Missouri’s eight U.S. Representatives are Republicans.
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver has previously said the plan is to change the boundaries of his district, Missouri’s 5th District, making it easier for a Republican to win the seat.
Cleaver represents most of Jackson County and part of Clay County.
Changing Cleaver’s district will almost certainly require changing the boundaries of Missouri’s 4th and 6th districts, held by Representative Mark Alford and Representative Sam Graves respectively.
Some have argued changing their districts could make them more vulnerable to a Democrat winning the seat.
The move is part of a nationwide trend spearheaded by the Trump Administration ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump appeared to reference redistricting in a post on Truth Social on August 21, writing, “Missouri is now IN.”
The Texas State Senate passed new maps in that state. California has countered by placing a measure on this November’s ballot to redistrict the state in favor of Democrats.
Kehoe has repeatedly said he wants Missouri’s conservative values to be better represented in Washington, D.C.
A similar push to redistrict Missouri so it has 7 to 1 Republican to Democrat representation in Congress failed to pass the legislature in 2022. At that time, U.S. Rep. Graves even opposed the idea.
Missouri House Democrats released a statement Thursday in anticipation of Kehoe’s announcement. House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City’s Northland, wrote, “The governor’s complete capitulation to the president’s will proves that Donald Trump – not Mike Kehoe – calls the shots in Missouri.”
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce released a statement this month in opposition to redistricting.
The statement read in part, “Kansas City plays a vital role in Missouri’s economy, with major contributions in manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and other key industries. Keeping the region unified within a single congressional district is essential to securing federal support, advancing bi-state cooperation, and maintaining long-term economic growth. Dividing the district would risk weakening Kansas City’s representation in Washington and disrupting important regional initiatives.”