Cleaver's son criticizes GOP redistricting plan in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After his father, Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, testified in Jefferson City, his son, Dr. Emanuel Cleaver III, spoke to reporters at their church, St. James United Methodist Church.
"What we're seeing now is that the Missouri General Assembly, they are willingly giving their power and their authority away to DC," Cleaver III said to a crowd of about 25 people.
After the news conference, FOX4 asked Cleaver III what he'd say to people who think that he's just upset because his father could lose his congressional seat.
"He's at the end of his career, not at the beginning," he replied.
"So, what we are fighting for is not for him to remain in office, but we're fighting for the citizens of Missouri, especially the Fifth District. This is much bigger than him."
In Jefferson City, Congressman Cleaver told reporters he's planning to run for reelection, at least right now. Friday, the Republican led state legislature could vote on a new congressional map that's aimed at giving Republicans a better chance of keeping their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in November of 2026.
Cleaver has been in Congress for more than 20 years after serving as Kansas City's first Black mayor. He denounced the redistricting plan during his testimony on Thursday.
Afterward, he also told reporters the Republican plan to make Missouri a 7-1 Congressional map for their party, as opposed to the current 6-2 one, could backfire.
"I think they're well aware of the fact the map is going to impact them negatively, particularly Mark Alford," he said.
"This could end up being a 5-3 map if Republicans aren't careful."
Back at the Kansas City news conference, Bishop Eric Morrison, a Democrat who lost the Gubernatorial primary in 2024, called the redistricting plan unfair. Morrison's also a pastor at Kingdom Word Ministries.
"I speak directly right now to the Governor's seat of Mike Kehoe, who's up under pressure, I believe, because of who's in the Presidency, in the person of Donald Trump and telling him, 'Break laws with me,'" he said to the crowd.
On the other hand, new Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, appointed by Republican Governor Mike Kehoe, says she doesn't think it's wrong for lawmakers to look at the Congressional districts again. She also told our colleague Mark Zinn earlier in September that when you draw congressional districts, they have to be compact and divide the population as equally as possible.
"I think that's where people who will challenge this will come at it, and say, 'Hey, you don't have a new census. How can you possibly divide it equally?' Hanaway said.
"I think there were a lot of problems with the 2020 census. I'm not sure it got divided equally then."
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has sued Governor Kehoe and other top Republican leaders in the state when it comes to redistricting. A hearing in that case is set for Monday afternoon in the capital city.
