Emanuel Cleaver

President Trump has been pressuring Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session for mid-decade redistricting. Republican lawmakers hope to gerrymander congressional lines around Kansas City, diluting Democratic voting power and making it harder for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win in the 2026 midterms.

The St. Charles County Republican was a strong supporter in 2022 of drawing a map that would have made it much harder for Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win another term representing Kansas City.

Missouri lawmakers may redraw Kansas City's congressional district to dilute Democratic voting power, in order for Republicans to win another seat in the 2026 midterms. Democrats intend to fight, but ultimately, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said that President Trump's disregard for democracy will endanger the country.

Redistricting critics warn that efforts to redraw maps mid-decade risks fueling further gridlock in Congress, and ceding more power to the executive and judicial branches. Missouri Republicans appear ready to jump into the gerrymandering game.

The Cass County Republican represents a safe GOP seat in the Kansas City area and mid-Missouri. But that could change if the Missouri legislature decides to redraw the state's congressional districts.

Hundreds of workers and civil rights leaders in Kansas City expressed anger over efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans. Advocates say they're working to keep the same from happening to Missouri, even as President Trump declares that the state "is now IN."

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe hasn’t called a special session yet to discuss redistricting, but he indicated he's moving closer towards convening lawmakers. "We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!” Trump declared Thursday.

In a battle started by President Trump, Texas, California and even Missouri could redraw lines that change whose votes really matter in the 2026 congressional elections.

Gov. Mike Kehoe wouldn't say whether he would call a special session to gerrymander the congressional map around Kansas City, and make it difficult for a Democrat to win in the 5th District. But he did say he shares Trump's vision for Republicans keeping control of the U.S. House.

Missouri Republican lawmakers seem to have all the leverage to gerrymander congressional districts in September, with the explicitly partisan aim of making it difficult for Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win reelection. But if they succeed, it could unleash a torrent of legal and political consequences.

Democratic state Sen. Patty Lewis of Kansas City says a special session on congressional redistricting could backfire on Republicans in a number of ways.

Gov. Mike Kehoe is considering a request from the Trump administration to call a special session so Republicans can gain a seat in the state's eight-member congressional delegation.