Trump says 'Missouri is now IN,' hinting toward mid-decade redistricting
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that Missouri may soon join GOP-backed efforts to redraw its congressional district boundaries, declaring on social media platform truth social, "Missouri is now IN."
Trump's post is widely interpreted as one urging for mid-decade congressional redistricting in Missouri, part of a broader national redistricting push led by Republicans that most prominently includes Texas.
The post reads: "The Great State of Missouri is now IN. I’m not surprised. It is a great State with fabulous people. I won it, all 3 times, in a landslide. We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!"
Redistricting, the process of drawing the borders of districts for which a state’s elected officials are elected, is required once at the start of every new U.S. Census decade cycle. In the process, states must ensure that districts have populations as equal as possible when they are redrawn.
Although redistricting typically only occurs once a decade, some states may revisit their maps mid-decade if political leaders call for a special legislative session on the matter.
In the previous two decade cycles, 2000 and 2010, Missouri's congressional districts remained unchanged after the initial redistricting plan was approved. Trump's push for redrawing districts mid-decade marks a rare shift from the state's usual practices in redistricting.
Currently, six Republicans and two Democrats represent Missouri's eight U.S. Congressional Districts. There has been growing speculation that Republicans may seek to redraw the boundaries to favor their party in a way that potentially could flip one seat and have seven seats after the 2026 midterm elections. The targeted seat? The 5th District, representing the Kansas City region and long held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver.
According to the Missouri Independent, Missouri lawmakers are scheduled to return to the state capitol on Sept. 10 for the annual veto session, with at least one meeting expected for an in-depth discussion on redistricting.
Earlier this month, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe showed support of mid-cycle redistricting, telling FOX 2 “Is Missouri represented properly in Washington, D.C., and, quite frankly, what can we do to support President Trump’s agenda?" And Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, who’s done a very good job,” Kehoe told FOX 2 News during a trip to St. Louis County."
Many Missouri Democrats, including Cleaver, are strongly opposed to the idea and how it could reshape representation ahead of the 2026 midterms. Cleaver called redistricting "very dangerous” and “national nastiness as a way of establishing a one-party rule in our country," in a recent interview with St. Louis Public Radio.
