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Nearly one year ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, House Republicans are likely to gain another seat in the lower chamber after a new law was passed in the Show-Me State.
Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the state’s new congressional map into law on Sunday, redrawing the districts in a manner likely to give Republicans another seat in the House.
The targeted seat is currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., who has represented the Kansas City area since 2005. The new map splits the city into three districts, adding additional rural territory to Cleaver’s territory, The Hill reported.
The newly adopted map now gives Republicans seven seats in the state, while Democrats hold one.
“I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election,” Kehoe said. “Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our values, across both sides of the aisle, are closer to each other than those of the congressional representation of states like New York, California, and Illinois.”
He continued, “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.”
President Donald Trump previously celebrated the move after the Missouri legislators voted to update the state’s congressional map earlier this month, RSBN reported, claiming that the new map will give “the wonderful people of Missouri the opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
Democratic opponents have already launched a referendum petition that could potentially send the map to a statewide vote, along with filing several lawsuits to challenge the legality of the district, according to Just the News.
The outcome of these challenges could determine whether the new map stands, and if Republicans gain an additional seat in Missouri.
Nonetheless, the new map comes amid the ongoing national redistricting battle. Texas Republicans recently approved a new map that could give the party five additional House seats, while California approved a measure that could give Democrats up to five seats, per The Hill.
Still, Republicans have more pathways to pick up new seats, such as redistricting in states like Missouri, which holds more conservative territory to draw out Democrat-held seats. Other states, like Ohio and Florida, are also rumored to follow suit.