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The GOP’s path forward looks strong. With supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, Republicans have the votes to push through a new map. Still, critics are already predicting lawsuits, pointing to Missouri’s constitutional provision that requires redistricting to follow the census, which won’t happen again until 2030.
Governor Kehoe made his case clear in a fiery statement. “Today, I am calling on the General Assembly to take action on congressional redistricting and initiative petition reform to ensure our districts and Constitution truly put Missouri values first,” he said. He also unveiled what he called the “Missouri First Map,” which he described as “a more compact, contiguous proposed map that was drawn and created by his team in Missouri to be considered by the General Assembly.”
The governor emphasized that his plan would keep communities together while reducing the number of counties and municipalities split between districts. Importantly, the proposal preserves the current districts of Missouri’s sitting representatives, ensuring continuity while still tightening Republican control.
Kehoe didn’t shy away from framing the issue as a fight for Missouri’s identity. “Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our Missouri values, across both sides of the aisle, are closer to each other than those of the extreme Left representation of New York, California and Illinois,” Kehoe declared. “Missouri’s conservative, common-sense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that.”
Former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged red states to correct what he calls a “census error” that unfairly benefited Democrats, quickly celebrated Kehoe’s move. On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The Great State of Missouri is now IN. I’m not surprised. It is a great State with fabulous people. I won it, all 3 times, in a landslide. We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!”
Missouri isn’t acting in isolation. Just hours before Kehoe’s announcement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed new maps into law that carve up five Democrat-held districts. Under the new lines, three of those seats are now considered “safe Republican,” one “likely Republican,” and one “lean Republican,” according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
Meanwhile, Florida Republicans are also preparing for their own redistricting battle. Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez revealed this week that a committee will soon begin examining how to redraw districts there, with hopes of flipping up to five Democrat-held seats before the 2026 midterms.
The coordinated push across multiple states highlights the Republican strategy heading into the next election cycle: shore up GOP strongholds, eliminate vulnerable Democrat seats, and counteract what Trump and others call years of unfair advantages engineered by Democrats during past redistricting battles.
For Missouri, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If Kehoe’s plan succeeds, Democrats could be left with just one seat in the state—further tightening Republicans’ grip not only on Missouri, but on the path to retaking and securing the U.S. House majority.
