Missouri legislature

As the attorney for the Amendment 6 campaign and People Not Politicians, the group that successfully challenged the Missouri legislature’s 2025 redistricting plan, Chuck Hatfield has been at the center of some of the state’s biggest political news this election.

When ICE agents show up at a school, educators rely on a patchwork of policies to know what to do. Missouri law prohibits municipalities from adopting sanctuary policies and requires cooperation. A Kansas bill would have restricted ICE access by designating school campuses as sensitive locations, but it didn't pass.

The judges ruled that two state lawmakers and a lobbyist lacked the right to file suit over the legislation. The tax bill authorized matching funds to help Kansas City build or renovate stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.

Voters shot down the legislature's Trump-backed congressional map by an overwhelming margin. But some lawmakers aren't ruling out pursuing another stab at new congressional lines.

Republicans still control the Missouri legislature by a solid margin, but they may need Democrats to pass major policy initiatives, such as the state budget.

Voters preserved abortion rights while making it harder for lawmakers to overturn citizen-approved measures. Anti-abortion Republicans are now looking for other ways to restrict access.

Republican Rep. Darin Chappell supports legislation to restrict abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. His niece, “Pink Pony Club” singer Chappell Roan, donates to maintain them.

Missouri voters rejected Proposition A, a referendum on redistricting, and approved Amendment 6, which makes it much harder for voter-led ballot initiatives to be changed by state lawmakers. However, the amendment may still be challenged in court, while Republicans are considering another round of redistricting before 2028.

Missouri Democrats flipped the two seats needed in the state Senate as well as 16 seats in the House. Republicans have held at least a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers since 2012.

After losing 16 House seats and their legislative supermajority, some Missouri Republicans blamed their own unpopular agenda while others pointed to national headwinds. Every major policy initiative put before voters by Republicans since Gov. Mike Kehoe took office has gone down to defeat.

Democrats shattered GOP legislative supermajorities, flipped a congressional seat and gained ground in unexpected places as voters rejected abortion restrictions and efforts to weaken their power over state laws.

The party won nearly every Republican-held district it targeted, scored unexpected victories in GOP strongholds and defended all its own seats.