Missouri Governor Signs Congressional Redistricting Map Into Law

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill into law on Sept. 28 that could help Republicans gain an additional U.S. House seat in the 2026 midterm election under a congressional redistricting map.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Dirk Deaton and Sen. Rusty Black, both Republicans, sets provisions for redistricting federal congressional seats. The state’s Fifth Congressional District will be divided into three districts under the new map.

“I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election,” Kehoe said in a statement.

“We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk,” the governor added.

The legislation preserves two congressional districts as they are and retains all current members of Missouri’s congressional delegation in their current respective districts, according to the governor’s office.

The bill was approved by the Missouri General Assembly’s House of Representatives on Sept. 9 before advancing to the state Senate, which passed it on Sept. 12.

President Donald Trump said on Sept. 9 that the new congressional map would help Republicans secure an additional U.S. House seat in next year’s midterm elections.

“It was my Great Honor to win Missouri six times, including Primaries, in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (Getting the Highest Number of Votes for any Office in the History of the State!), and this new Map will give the wonderful people of Missouri the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections,” Trump stated on Truth Social.

Previously, Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District encompassed most of the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area. Going forward, the district will be absorbed into a new, mostly rural Fifth District in western-central Missouri south of the Missouri River; a redrawn, mostly rural Fourth District in western Missouri; and a redrawn, mostly rural Sixth District covering most of Missouri north of the Missouri River.

Opponents to the redistricting plan are expected to release a referendum petition that could force a statewide vote on the congressional map.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Sept. 12, alleging that the congressional redistricting map contains an error placing the voting tabulation district (VTD) KC 811 in Jackson County within both the Fourth and Fifth congressional districts.

The governor’s office has rejected this claim.

“There are two separate and distinct VTD 811s in Kansas City. It is likely that the same name was assigned to two different VTDs by the US Census Bureau. Any suggestion that someone could vote in two congressional districts is false,” Kehoe said in a Sept. 17 statement.

Missouri became the third state to redraw its federal congressional map for partisan purposes, following Texas and California.

Austin Alonzo contributed to this report.