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Missouri's 4th and 5th districts face first elections under new map

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Missouri’s Republican supermajority redrew the state’s congressional boundaries last year to make the 4th and 5th districts a tougher battle for Democrats. We'll talk through the races before Tuesday's primary, the first election under the newly gerrymandered map.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and Kansas City's 5th Congressional District, have been front and center in the battle over Missouri redistricting. Republicans opened up old segregation wounds in their new maps by dividing Kansas City along Troost Avenue to make Cleaver’s district harder for Democrats to win. KCUR news director Madeline Fox sat down with race and culture reporter Celisa Calacal to talk about the Aug. 4 primary.

Redistricting also put Republican Rep. Mark Alford, who’s held the 4th Congressional District since 2023, in the hot seat. KCUR news director Madeline Fox sat down with Missouri government reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates to talk about the race.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Laura Ziegler. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

As Kansas City grows and diversifies, journalists need to listen to the people, to your challenges and successes..As engagement and solutions editor, I’ll make sure we’re framing stories based on what we hear from you, and we’ll partner with communities so our stories help us understand and connect to one another. Email me at lauraz@kcur.org.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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