Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe applauds while delivering the State of the State address on Jan. 28, 2025, in Jefferson City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Missouri Democrats staged a sit-in over the weekend, refusing to leave the chamber in protest of the Republican-backed map. Missouri state House Minority Leader Ashley Aune has accused Republicans of pushing to "rig our maps and eliminate our representation in Congress."
ABBOTT CLEARS FINAL REDISTRICTING HURDLE AS TEXAS SENATE PASSES NEW TRUMP-APPROVED MAP
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin celebrated the Missouri Democrats' protest in a statement released Monday.
"The DNC applauds their efforts leading and using every tool at their disposal to raise awareness for the craven scheme by Missouri Republicans. In every corner of this country, Democrats are fighting back. Missouri Democrats can count on the DNC’s support as we protect Missouri voters and save our country from Trump’s billionaire-first agenda," Martin said.
President Donald Trump argued in a social media post that Missouri voters would have "the tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections."
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe waves to the crowd after being sworn in as the state's 58th governor in Jefferson City. (Emily Curiel/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
If passed by the GOP-controlled legislature, the new map would likely flip Cleaver's seat and give Republicans a seven-to-one advantage in the state's U.S. House delegation.
Cleaver, whose seat is threatened, has vowed to take legal action if the new map is signed into law by the governor.
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With Democrats currently needing just a three-seat pickup in next year's midterms to win back the House majority, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida are mulling their own GOP-friendly redistricting plans ahead of the 2026 elections. And right-leaning Ohio is under a court order to draw new maps ahead of the midterms.
Democrats, as they push back, are looking to New York, Illinois and Maryland in the hopes of creating more left-leaning congressional seats.
In Illinois and Maryland, where Govs. J.B. Pritzker and Wes Moore are discussing redistricting, Democrats hope to pick up to three more left-leaning seats.
And Democrats could pick up a seat in right-leaning Utah, where a judge recently ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to draw new maps after ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missouri-house-approves-redistricting-plan-part-nationwide-gop-push-defend-house-majority