Missouri Republican Party

The Missouri Republican Party is mulling over how national headwinds could affect key state legislative races and ballot initiatives, such as an abortion ban and redistricting referendum. Plus: Missouri colleges and universities are racing to fulfill a new request for student data from the U.S. Department of Education.

U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt expect Missouri Republican-backed ballot issues will succeed even in a tough election year.

House Majority Leader Alex Riley will likely become Missouri’s speaker of the House after next year’s elections. But before then, he's responsible for shepherding Republican priorities like eliminating the state income tax.

The proposed constitutional amendment also includes a ban on gender-affirming health care for minors, a provision opponents say violates a state law requiring amendments only cover one subject.

The Republican National Committee is targeting voters to remove their names from a referendum petition that could overturned Missouri's recently redrawn congressional map. A lawsuit is already underway over whether Missouri's Secretary of State improperly threw out tens of thousands of signatures.

Opponents argue the Missouri Constitution is clear that lawmakers can only redraw congressional maps after a certified census, while the state said nothing prohibits mid-decade redistricting.

Unless courts intervene, it's looking more likely that Missouri voters will ultimately get to decide the fate of the GOP's congressional map — meaning the gerrymandered districts might not take effect for the 2026 election cycle.

In the bill text detailing Missouri's new congressional maps, one Kansas City precinct appears to be included in both the 4th and 5th districts. That would mean those voters would get to vote for two representatives in Congress. Gov. Mike Kehoe disputed that the voters have been allocated to two districts.

The redistricting plan transforms Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based district into a GOP-leaning seat, by linking part of Missouri’s largest city with a slew of rural counties. The legislation now heads to the Missouri Senate, where it could face a rougher reception.

The Republican proposal would require constitutional amendments placed on the ballot through the initiative petition process to win a majority of the statewide vote, and to also pass in all eight of Missouri's congressional districts.

At a time when Congressional Republicans are generally opting against town halls, Kansas City-area Rep. Mark Alford is embarking on a four-day, 15-stop tour to meet with constituents. Some of his events have been met with contentious protests.

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.