By DAVID A. LIEB
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents denounced a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts on Thursday as Republican lawmakers pressed forward with President Donald Trump’s technique to bolster Republicans in subsequent 12 months’s congressional elections.
Dozens of individuals turned out for the primary public listening to on a plan that might break up up a Kansas Metropolis congressional district to present Republicans a shot at successful seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. Home seats. Republicans already maintain six of these seats.
“Kansas Metropolis doesn’t wish to be divided. We deserve illustration and a voice,” mentioned Kristen Ellis Johnson, an legal professional from Kansas Metropolis who got here to the Capitol along with her husband and daughter. “You might be dividing the urban-dwelling, liberal-leaning inhabitants to purposely change these votes.”
Missouri is the third state to hitch an rising nationwide battle between Republicans and Democrats searching for benefit in the way in which U.S. Home districts are drawn.
At Trump’s prodding, Texas redrew its U.S. Home districts final month to present Republicans an opportunity at successful 5 extra seats. California countered with its personal revised map aimed toward giving Democrats a shot at successful 5 extra U.S. Home seats. The California plan nonetheless wants voter approval in November.
The stakes are excessive as a result of, nationally, Democrats want to achieve simply three seats within the 2026 elections to take management of the Home. And, traditionally, the get together of the president often loses congressional seats in midterm elections, as occurred throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace.
Kansas Metropolis district can be merged with rural areas
Missouri’s revised congressional map, as proposed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, would goal a seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by stretching it from Kansas Metropolis eastward to embody rural Republican-leaning areas.
Whereas lawmakers heard public criticism in Jefferson Metropolis, some opponents held a press convention in Kansas Metropolis close to the purpose the place three of the newly proposed districts would intersect. Edgar Palacios, president and CEO of the Latinx Training Collaborative, wore black to the occasion to decry the redistricting proposal.
“It seems like that, we’re at a funeral — a funeral for democracy in Missouri,” Palacios mentioned. “This gerrymander runs straight towards every part we combat for. It says loud and clear, `Your voice, your group, your vote doesn’t matter.’”
Ashley Sadowski, a mom whose 7- and 11-year-olds are college students in Kansas Metropolis Public Faculties, mentioned the proposed map may have repercussions past who wins elections.
“Because of this I might drive from my residence in a single congressional district to my son’s center college in one other congressional district,” she mentioned. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“Politicians are denying our kids the unified voice they deserve in D.C,” Sadowski added.
On the legislative listening to, lobbyist Shannon Cooper mentioned Kansas Metropolis authorities opposes the revised map as a result of having a single individual characterize a lot of the metropolis within the U.S. Home has helped carry federal jobs and tasks to the area.
Some rural residents additionally mentioned they didn’t wish to be mixed into the identical district as Kansas Metropolis.
“In the event that they try this, individuals in Kansas Metropolis is not going to get their wants met in Congress. It completely dilutes their vote,” Glenda Bainbridge, a resident from rural Odessa, informed The Related Press as she waited her flip to testify towards the invoice.
Just one individual spoke in favor of the brand new map on the listening to. A frontrunner for Missouri Proper to Life mentioned the revised districts may assist ship one other anti-abortion lawmaker to Washington, D.C.
Missouri redistricting course of dealing with authorized problem
State Rep. Dirk Deaton, who’s sponsoring the redistricting laws, mentioned the proposed map would break up fewer counties and cities amongst a number of districts than the present congressional districts.
“It’s an enchancment. It’s a reform of our present congressional map,” Deaton mentioned.
He didn’t publicly disclose demographic knowledge exhibiting the racial make-up of the newly proposed districts. The Republican lawmaker mentioned he didn’t have knowledge on the estimated partisan composition of voters.
State Rep. Mark Sharp, of Kansas Metropolis, the rating Democrat on the redistricting committee, denounced the plan as a “morally corrupt” try and push Cleaver “into an early retirement.”
Cleaver has mentioned he would problem the brand new map in court docket if it passes.
The Missouri NAACP has already filed a lawsuit in state court docket searching for to halt the particular session. It argues that Kehoe’s name for a particular session is unconstitutional as a result of no extraordinary circumstance exists to justify it. It additionally asserts that the Missouri Structure prohibits redrawing congressional districts with out new census knowledge or a ruling invalidating the present districts.
Underneath Missouri’s present map, just one district has been even reasonably aggressive. Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner received her suburban St. Louis seat with about 55% of the vote in every of the previous two elections. Cleaver received reelection in each 2024 and 2022 with over 60% of the vote, and most of Missouri’s different districts had even bigger victory margins.
Related Press reporters Heather Hollingsworth and Nicholas Ingram contributed from Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.
Initially Revealed:
