Missouri's Republican governor has approved a new legislative map giving the GOP an additional seat in the House of Representatives, escalating a redistricting arms' race ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The new map could be a gamechanger, with Democrats needing just three seats to take power back in the House, Fox News reports.
Currently, Missouri Republicans have six out of eight House districts, but the new map signed by Governor Mike Kehoe (R) chops up the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and adds rural Republican voters.
"I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election," Kehoe said in a statement.
"We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk."
Cleaver, who was the first black mayor of Kansas City before becoming a congressman, has condemned the redistricting push as a return to Missouri's segregationist past. The map uses a historical racial boundary in the city, Troost Avenue.
"I want to warn all of us that if you fight fire with fire long enough, all you’re going to have left is ashes," Cleaver said earlier this month as he testified in front of a Missouri Senate committee.
Left-wing groups like the NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have already filed lawsuits, arguing the state constitution does not permit mid-decade redistricting.
“It was not prompted by the law or a court order; it was the result of Republican lawmakers in Missouri following partisan directives from politicians in Washington, D.C.,” said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
Liberals are also working on a voter referendum to block the measure from taking effect.
If the petition gets 110,000 valid signatures before December 11, the map would be frozen until a public vote.
President Trump has touted Missouri's effort as "FANTASTIC," adding it "will help send an additional MAGA Republican to Congress in the 2026 Midterm Elections."
It is the latest salvo in a mid-decade redistricting battle that kicked off in July when Texas Republicans moved to add up to five GOP seats at President Trump's urging.
Democrats in California have forwarded their own plan to wipe out the state's Republican minority. The proposal asks voters to temporarily put the state's Democrats directly in charge of redistricting.
