Eleven-Term Democrat’s Seat in Jeopardy as Missouri Redistricting Gets Heated [WATCH]

Missouri lawmakers opened a special legislative session this week to consider a new congressional map that could eliminate the seat of Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who has represented the Kansas City area for more than two decades.

The proposal, pushed by the Republican majority, would shift Missouri’s congressional delegation from its current 6-2 GOP advantage to a 7-1 split.

Cleaver, an 11-term lawmaker, faces the greatest threat under the new lines, which carve portions of his Kansas City district into Republican-held areas.

On Thursday, the Missouri House special committee on redistricting approved the plan by a 10-4 party-line vote.

🚨 BREAKING: Missouri House committee on redistricting just PASSED the new Congressional map that will WIPE AWAY a Democrat seat in favor of Republicans in 2026.

Time for FULL PASSAGE – and EVERY red state who can do this must follow suit. Florida, Indiana, Ohio are NEXT! pic.twitter.com/K6sAW5Loid

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 4, 2025

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

The bill would divide parts of Kansas City between the districts of Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO) and Sam Graves (R-MO), while also reshaping districts represented by Reps. Bob Onder (R-MO) and Ann Wagner (R-MO) in the St. Louis area.

The full House is expected to begin debate early next week.

President Donald Trump has endorsed the effort, calling it a chance for Missouri voters to elect another Republican.

“The tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections,” Trump said in a statement.

Cleaver criticized the plan in an interview with Politico, describing it as “as stinky a plan as you could have.”

Speaking to KBIA, he argued that “someone over at the White House is seemingly committed to fomenting what I call national nastiness as a way of establishing a one-party rule in our country.… And I think it is very dangerous.”

The redistricting fight in Missouri mirrors efforts across the country, where both parties are attempting to secure advantages ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Texas Republicans recently enacted a map adding five GOP seats, while California Democrats are working on plans to counter with five new Democratic districts.

Democrats have warned that they cannot offset Republican gains if multiple red states adopt new maps.

Missouri Democrats, who hold a super-minority in the state legislature, acknowledge they have few tools to block the GOP’s proposal.

“We can’t do what Texas did,” Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune told NBC News, referring to the 2021 walkout by Texas Democrats.

“There’s literally nothing procedurally, there’s nothing strategically that we can do as Democrats in the super minority to prevent these maps from passing.”

Doug Beck, Democratic leader in the state Senate, agreed.

“They can have session without us if we’re not there,” he told reporters.

Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO), who won his seat after defeating Cori Bush in a primary, said the effort to remove Cleaver is deeply unfair.

“It’s disappointing because we’re seeing legislators picking their voters instead of voters picking their legislators,” Bell said.

He praised Cleaver as “a friend and an ally and a mentor” and added, “He served not only his state, but his country, with dignity and class and honor, and we’re going to fight in every way that we can because we know what they’re doing is wrong.”

Cleaver, a former Kansas City mayor, has represented Missouri’s 5th Congressional District since 2005.

His seat covers much of Kansas City and surrounding suburbs, long considered a Democratic stronghold.

Some Republicans expressed personal respect for Cleaver even while backing the redistricting plan.

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) said, “There’s a lot of Democrats I don’t agree with whatsoever, and that I think should be removed. But I have a lot of healthy respect for Emanuel Cleaver.”

Others framed the fight as part of a broader national struggle over political maps.

“The Democrats have been playing this game for a very, very long time,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said.

“I’m glad Republicans are moving forward on redistricting in a way that comports with their own state constitutions. That’s what Missouri is doing.”

Schmitt argued that Democrats have already exhausted their opportunities to gain seats through redistricting.

“I think we’ve got a lot more to gain [nationwide] than they do, because they’ve already squeezed all the juice out of the lemon they can,” he said.

Rep. Alford added that Republicans intend to “advance the America First agenda, while providing top-notch service to ALL constituents no matter their political affiliations.”

He stressed that the redistricting effort was coordinated between Gov. Mike Kehoe, the legislature, and the White House.

Burlison, who has long supported a 7-1 GOP map, noted that the change was delayed by internal party disputes.

“The only reason why it didn’t happen [sooner] is because of politics,” he said.

“So it’s ironic now that here we are, four years later, and the people who were the key decision leaders, Republicans, back then that played politics and drew a 6-2 map, are having to eat crow and draw a 7-1 map.”

The Missouri House is expected to take up the redistricting bill in the coming days, with passage considered likely given the GOP’s supermajority.

If approved, the map would likely end Cleaver’s tenure in Congress, further strengthening Republican control of Missouri’s congressional delegation.