In July 2025, lawmakers in the U.S. state of Missouri began considering a legislative redistricting plan ahead of the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections.
On August 29, 2025, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special session to redraw the congressional maps with a proposed map dismantling the safe blue 5th congressional district. [1]
In July 2025, The Missouri Independent reported that the Trump administration had urged Republican Party leadership in the state of Missouri to redistrict the state's legislative boundaries in order to benefit Republicans. The plan elicited concern from some Missouri Republicans such as House Speaker Pro Tempore Chad Perkins saying it broke precedent of redistricting after every census. Along with redistricting in Texas, the proposal began amid concern from Trump and his allies that a Republican loss in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections could damage Trump's legislative agenda and lead to investigations. [2]
Multiple state legislators called on Mike Kehoe to call a special session immediately to redraw the congressional districts. [3] On August 21, 2025, Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that Missouri was ready to redraw their congressional districts. [4]
The proposed redistricting map intends to give Republicans one additional seat in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections. The map splits voters of Jackson County between three congressional districts and puts Democratic Party Representative Emanuel Cleaver's district once anchored in Jackson County stretching all the way east into Osage County, while the 4th and 6th districts gain part of Kansas City in their new configurations. [5]