The Missouri Senate finished off a bitter and consequential special session on Friday by passing a new congressional map aimed at ousting U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and a proposal that could make it much harder to pass some constitutional amendments.
But both of Gov. Mike Kehoe's special session agenda items, which only passed after Republicans cut off a Democratic filibuster, may never go into effect. A group announced Friday they're gathering signatures to place the new map up for a statewide vote and the changes to initiative petitions still need voter approval.
Senators voted 21 to 11 to pass redrawn congressional lines aimed at converting Cleaver's Kansas City-based district into a GOP-leaning seat.
They also approved a proposal by the same vote that would require any constitutional amendment placed before voters through the initiative petition process to pass statewide and in all eight congressional districts. It would not affect statutory initiative petitions or amendments the legislature puts before voters.
The redistricting proposal is a massive reversal from just three years ago, when the GOP-majority legislature rejected a map that went after Cleaver. Among other things, they feared that transforming Cleaver's 5th District would make Reps. Mark Alford and Sam Graves vulnerable in Democratic wave elections.
But Republican lawmakers changed their tune after President Donald Trump began pressuring GOP-led states like Missouri, Texas, Indiana and Florida to pass new district lines before the 2026 midterm elections.
"We support President Trump and the work he is doing," said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, on Facebook. "We want to see it continue."
Republicans hold a small majority in the U.S. House – and the president's party often does poorly in midterm elections. Some lawmakers made no secret that their goal of the redistricting push is to prevent the Democrats from retaking the House next year. Others, like Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, said on Thursday that GOP senators should have backed a map with seven Republican districts and one Democratic seat in 2022.
"I'm just glad that now we're going and rectifying what I believe was the wrong decision to do a 6 to 2 map," said Brattin, referring to the current map that has two safe Democratic seats including St. Louis. "And now, we're doing what was a right representation of the state of Missouri."
Before Republicans used a maneuver known as a previous question motion to shut off debate, Democrats assailed their GOP colleagues for succumbing to pressure from Trump – even though the new map may backfire during Democratic wave elections.
"This was never a thing that would happen when George Bush was president," said Sen. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia. "Not a thing that happened when Reagan was president. This is uncharted. I have never in my life seen a president of the United States… giving orders to a legislature and explicitly saying, 'Do it this way, word for word this way.'"
Democrats also said the Missouri Constitution doesn't authorize mid-decade redistricting, and added that there's no way for the new map to adhere to equal population standards since it uses outdated census data.
Others questioned whether adding largely white suburbs to the 1st Congressional District, currently held by Wesley Bell, D-St. Louis County, dilutes its African American population enough to trigger a Voting Rights Act violation. And Cleaver also said it was troubling that Troost Avenue was used as the line between the 4th and 5th districts – since that street divided Kansas City's Black and white communities.
"Anybody who knows anything about that community would never choose to bring back that Mason Dixon Line," said Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City. "Unfortunately, this map that came from Washington, D.C., does just that. It splits up that community."
In a scathing speech, Sen. Barbara Washington said that the redistricting plan showcases disdain for the state's largest city. The Kansas City Democrat condemned Republicans for targeting one of the state's economic hubs, and questioned whether that city will be able to get as many resources under the new map.
"I will say that it has begun to look like one side is representing the interests of the people and the voices of the people, and another side is representing the interest of power because they want to be in power more than they want to help their communities," Washington said.
Group announces referendum effort
Cleaver has promised to file a lawsuit to get a judge to throw out the new congressional district lines. And on Friday afternoon, a group called People Not Politicians announced they planned to gather the more than 100,000 signatures needed in six out of eight congressional districts to place the new map up for a statewide vote. If they turn in enough signatures 90 days after the special session ends, the map cannot go into effect unless Missourians approve it.
"While politicians scheme behind closed doors, People Not Politicians is taking action," said the group's spokeswoman, Elsa Rainey. "We are at the Secretary of State's office today (Friday) filing a referendum to put this deeply flawed map before Missouri voters. Given the groundswell of outrage across the state, we are confident the people will rise to meet this moment. This fight is not over. Missouri voters — not politicians — will have the final say."
While redistricting opponents have a tight time frame to gather signatures, Democratic groups may have an incentive to help fund the campaign to place the map up for a vote. That's because the statewide vote could occur beyond a point where it could go into effect for the 2026 midterm election. That would mean Cleaver would almost certainly win reelection under the current 5th District lines and that U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, may be more vulnerable to a strong Democratic challenger than under the revised map.
If the map does end up going into effect, high-level Democrats are already seeking out candidates to take on Alford and Graves. A Democratic party source told St. Louis Public Radio that Democratic House leaders called former Kansas City Councilwoman and state Sen. Jolie Justus to run against Alford and former Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo to take on Graves.
High-powered groups plan to fight initiative petition curbs
Missouri Republicans had spent well over a decade trying to make constitutional amendments harder to pass. But the legislature couldn't agree to adopt a proposal to send to voters, including a measure in 2025 that would have required amendments to pass in a statewide vote and in five out of eight congressional districts.
Backers of the new plan say the amendments need broad consensus if they're going to be adopted into the constitution. It comes after Missouri voters backed left-of-center initiatives to protect abortion rights, legalize marijuana, expand Medicaid, and authorize sports betting.
"This is going to protect rural Missouri. Obviously, it's going to protect the urban areas as well," said Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair. "You've got to have that broad consensus throughout the entire state of Missouri to amend the Constitution."
But Democrats were especially critical of how amendments lawmakers place on the ballot would only have to pass with a simple majority. They said this would greatly weaken the power of Missourians to circumvent the legislature, especially since lawmakers in recent years have overturned statutory ballot items such as paid sick leave requirements and restrictions on dog breeding facilities.
Some deep-pocketed and well-organized groups could work to defeat the ballot measure at the polls. The Missouri Association of Realtors was prepared to spend millions of dollars to defeat the 2024 proposal. And Missouri AFL-CIO President Jake Hummel said members of labor unions are incensed about the latest one.
"They were exceptionally angry," Hummel said. "My phone's been ringing off the hook. My emails are constant. And quite frankly, I look forward to calling [the Missouri Association of Realtors] and having a discussion about beating this at the ballot."
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