Trump pushes Missouri lawmakers to reignite redistricting fight
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The Trump White House is pushing ahead with an extraordinary effort to game the system by redrawing congressional maps ahead of the midterms, with eyes on Missouri's 5th District, which includes Kansas City.
Why it matters: Republicans are hoping to pick off more than a half-dozen Democratic-held seats across the country in 2026.
The big picture: The push to add Republican House seats is sparking a chain reaction as the parties fight over the majority.
Context: Redistricting for partisan advantage is nothing new, but it's usually done after the census every 10 years. The next census is scheduled for 2030.
- In Texas, President Trump has encouraged Republicans to embark on a redistricting project that he's said could net the party as many as five seats.
- In Missouri, Republicans believe they could flip another congressional seat.
Zoom in: Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) told St. Louis Public Radio last week that the Trump administration is targeting Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II's district, according to KCUR.
- Missouri's congressional maps are drawn by the state Legislature and approved by the governor.
- After the 2020 census, Missouri Republicans floated a map that would have split Kansas City's Democratic-leaning 5th District, but infighting and pushback led them to abandon the plan, according to the Missouri Independent.
- Cleaver called Trump's new push for redistricting "dangerous," but the state's conservative Freedom Caucus wants a special session, calling the current map "weak" and "diluted."
The other side: Leaders in Democratic states, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have vowed to punch back by drawing new Democratic seats.
Between the lines: "The battlefield is extremely narrow compared to 10 or 20 years ago," said Matt Gorman, a former National Republican Congressional Committee official.
The bottom line: If Democrats seize the lower chamber, it would derail Trump's legislative agenda for his final two years in office.