One of the most contentious Missouri special sessions in recent memory is nearing an end after a Senate committee backed measures Thursday redrawing the state's congressional lines and constricting the initiative ballot petition process.
A committee hearing Thursday featured impassioned testimony from U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, against the effort to oust him from office and more acrimony in the Senate.
The full Senate is expected to pass both of Gov. Mike Kehoe's special session agenda items on Friday.
The Senate Committee on Local Government, Elections and Pensions approved a new congressional map 6 to 2 on Thursday that converts Cleaver's Kansas City-based district into a GOP-leaning seat. It also placed other parts of Kansas City into Reps. Mark Alford and Sam Graves districts, puts all of St. Charles County in Congressman Bob Onder's district and adds part of Jefferson County and all of Crawford, Washington and Gasconade counties to Rep. Ann Wagner's district.
"I do just believe it is a better map for the state of Missouri, which is why I'm supporting it," said House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a McDonald County Republican who sponsored the redistricting bill in the House.
The redistricting plan sparked nationwide attention after President Donald Trump pressured GOP states like Missouri, Texas, Indiana and Florida to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump spoke with members of the Missouri Senate Republican caucus on Wednesday over the phone.
Some Republicans have made no secret that they want to pass the new map to prevent Democrats from taking over the U.S. House next year. Others say that making Cleaver's 5th District possible for a GOP takeover dovetails with how Missouri elected more Republicans over the past decade.
"To say that this isn't an inherent political process is erroneous, because that's exactly what this is," said Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville. "We're political in nature, and we draw the maps. That's our constitutional duty."
"The question is, are we actually representing the constituency of Missouri with our congressional delegation? A seven one map does that," he added, referring to a map with seven Republican-leaning districts and a solidly Democratic one in the St. Louis area.
Democrats said mid-decade redistricting is illegal and unconstitutional, pointing specifically to language in the Missouri Constitution authorizing the redraw directly after a census. They also questioned how the new map can reach equal population requirements when lawmakers are using outdated 2020 Census data to draw the lines.
During an exchange with the bill's sponsor, Republican House Budget Chairman Dirk Deaton, Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, blasted the GOP majority for pursuing mid-decade redistricting at the behest of Trump.
"To me, a Missouri First map is a map that is drawn by Missouri legislators," said Nurrenbern, referring to how Kehoe dubbed the new congressional lines. "I cannot believe that the General Assembly is punting this to Washington, D.C. and letting the Feds tell us what to do."
Cleaver makes his case against new map
Cleaver was in the Missouri Capitol on Thursday to testify against redistricting. He said splitting Kansas City into three districts will weaken Missouri's largest city.
He also criticized how the map splits the 4th and 5th Districts along Troost Avenue, which is a traditional dividing line between Black and white Kansas City residents.
"In the last few years, chaos has been on a hunt – hunting all over this country," Cleaver said. "And chaos has found us. We're going to fight each other in the greatest nation that God allowed to exist."
Cleaver also expressed dismay that Trump pressuring Republican leaning states to redraw their districts is prompting a redistricting free-for-all that he said will leave voters as the ultimate losers. California voters will soon decide whether to approve a map to elect more Democrats, while Maryland and Illinois are also mulling over redrawing districts to hurt the GOP.
"Democrats have said we're going to fight fire with fire and that's exactly what's going to happen," said Cleaver. "But I want to warn all of us that if you fight fire with fire, long enough, all you are going to have left is ashes."
While the new 5th District, which links parts of Kansas City to a number of rural counties, would lean Republican, Cleaver said he is still planning on running.
He pointed to polling from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee showing that the redistricting push is unpopular.
"I think it's going to energize Democrats and Republicans," Cleaver said. "I think the numbers for the Republicans were just below the numbers for Democrats in terms of opposition to this."
And some Kansas City area Democrats have warned their GOP counterparts that the map could backfire. Not only do they say that Cleaver could potentially win in the new 5th District during a Democratic wave election, but that Alford and Graves could face much more competitive general elections.
"This could end up becoming a 5 to 3 map, if Republicans are not careful," Cleaver said, referring to how the map could actually elect three Democrats to Congress.
If Senate Republicans endorse the map that takes aim at Cleaver, redistricting opponents could try to gather signatures to put the proposal up for a statewide vote. They'll have 90 days to collect roughly 106,000 signatures in six out of eight of the state's congressional districts.
Cleaver said he will file a lawsuit if lawmakers pass the map.
"Whatever happens is not going to change my desire to continue to serve people in the 5th District," Cleaver said.
Initiative petition plan advances
The committee also backed a measure, which needs voter approval, by a 6 to 2 vote that would require any constitutional amendment that gets on the ballot through the initiative petition process to pass statewide and in all eight congressional districts. It would not apply to statutory initiative petitions or constitutional amendments that the legislature puts before voters.
"I think that rural people should have a voice in this," said Sen. Mike Henderson, R-St. Francois County. "And oftentimes, they do not."
Lewis and other Republicans have defended the lower standard to approve legislative-initiated constitutional amendments. They've said it's already challenging to get something through the legislative process, compared to gathering a certain amount of signatures in at least six out of eight congressional districts.
Senate Democrats assailed the proposal for effectively disassembling a method for citizens upset with the legislature to pass certain policy initiatives. They also note that groups amend the state constitution because lawmakers overrule statutory initiative petitions, such as voter-proved paid sick leave requirements.
"I'm really confident that Missouri voters are not going to vote to give away their own power," Nurrenbern said.
They also accused Republicans of deception by including noncontroversial items, like criminalizing signature fraud or requiring printed amendments at polling places, to disguise the real intent of making it much harder to amend the constitution.
If lawmakers send the initiative petition proposal to the ballot, it could face a barrage of well-organized opposition from groups like Missouri realtors and the AFL-CIO. Realtors were preparing to spend millions of dollars in 2024 to fight against a proposal that the legislature never passed to require constitutional amendments to pass in a statewide vote and five out of eight congressional districts.
Friday could be decisive special session day
Unless they make changes to the House redistricting and initiative petition measures, the Senate will only need to vote one time on Friday.
Unlike the House, Senate Democrats ostensibly have the ability to slow the proceedings down with a talking filibuster. But Republicans are prepared to use what's known as the previous question that shuts down debate on a matter. They used that maneuver on Wednesday to pass rule changes aimed at getting the redistricting and initiative petition measures through the process more quickly.
The Senate's brief session on Thursday showcased more of a breakdown between Republicans and Democrats. The GOP majority cut off Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-Affton, from expressing his dismay about the special session rules – something that typically doesn't happen in a chamber that champions unlimited debate.
"As you look around here today, nobody is in this building," said Beck, referring to how thousands came to the Capitol Wednesday to protest the redistricting and initiative petition plan. "You know why? Because it's irrelevant. The Senate is irrelevant. This is no longer a functioning body."
Senate Democrats have already warned that ramming the special session items through will likely make the 2026 session unproductive – especially since Democratic senators will have more ability to stall mundane business. Republicans may also not have Democratic support on major initiatives that divide the GOP caucus, such as the state budget.
Beck lamented how his GOP colleagues aren't thinking independently, pointing to how Trump pushed them to redraw the maps.
"My question is, and I say this somewhat tongue in cheek, is like, when you have to go to the bathroom in morning, do you text the president to ask him if it's okay?" Beck asked. "What happened to your free will?"
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