Missouri court approves GOP-friendly US House districts to be used in November election in huge win for Trump admin
A Missouri judge has allowed new U.S. House districts backed by President Donald Trump to be used in the November elections, rejecting an effort to put the Republican-friendly map to a statewide vote.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green’s Wednesday ruling is a victory for Republicans seeking to preserve their slim House majority, but opponents immediately appealed, likely sending the case to the Missouri Supreme Court.
The districts were already used in August’s primaries. That day, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition with thousands of signatures seeking a November referendum, arguing Missouri’s Constitution does not allow congressional redistricting referendums. Green agreed, ruling that the Constitution does not clearly transfer congressional redistricting authority from the General Assembly to voters.
People Not Politicians, which sued to put the map on the ballot, said it would appeal.
Missouri’s delegation currently has six Republicans and two Democrats. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe called a special redistricting session last year after Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw districts ahead of the midterms.
The new map is designed to help Republicans defeat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City by moving parts of the city into two Republican-held districts and extending the rest of his 5th District into Republican-heavy rural areas. About 59% of its voters are new to the district. Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin won the GOP primary, while Cleaver was unopposed.
Republicans argued the map should remain in place even if a referendum occurred. Their attorneys also warned that changing districts after the primary would cause voter confusion, undermine confidence in elections and violate federal law. Green agreed.
Missouri has not had a redistricting referendum in more than 100 years. In 1922, voters rejected a Republican-backed congressional map.
The mid-decade redistricting effort has triggered about a dozen lawsuits, making Missouri one of the nation’s most litigated. It followed Texas as the second state to answer Trump’s call. Republicans hope new maps in eight states could produce up to 16 additional House seats, while Democrats hope new maps in California and Utah could yield up to six.
Whether Republicans benefit remains uncertain, as the president’s party historically loses seats in midterms and Trump’s low approval ratings could hurt GOP candidates.
