JEFFERSON CITY — U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell on Wednesday ripped Gov. Mike Kehoe’s decision to hold a legislative special session with the sole purpose of eliminating the boundaries of the Kansas City-area congressional seat held by fellow Black Democrat U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
If a proposed new Missouri congressional district map becomes law, it will likely face legal challenges. The new map is designed to put seven Republicans in the U.S. House from Missouri instead of six, and reduce the two Democratic seats to one.
The legislation comes at the direct command of President Donald Trump, who wants to better position Republicans to maintain control of the House during next year’s midterm elections.
“This is the new Republican playbook: bend the knee to a failed president, tear down anything that gets in their way, and cling to power by silencing voices they can’t beat at the ballot box,” Bell said in a statement to the St. Louis American as the special session began at noon on Wednesday. “It’s not politics as usual anymore. It’s a raw fight between democracy and tyranny,”
Bell said the special session is about power.
“Trump has the lowest approval rating in modern history, and Republicans know they can’t win fairly so they’re cheating. They’re trying to erase Congressman Cleaver’s seat, erase voters and erase accountability.”
Speaking at a Labor Day event in his current 5th District, Cleaver said he will file a federal lawsuit to protect his seat from the mid-decade intrusion by Republicans.
“I’m committed to going to federal court,” Cleaver said. “I’m not committing to lay down and talk about running unless I’m running to the lawyer’s office. We’re going to file a lawsuit.”
Cleaver contends that neither Kehoe nor anyone in his administration drew the map under consideration during the special session, which he says would make it unconstitutional.
“The White House designed the map. This map was not drawn in Missouri,” Cleaver said
The new map would split the Kansas City School District in two, which Cleaver called “absolutely crazy.”
Texas is the first state to cater to Trump’s wishes by approving a map that will likely create five new Republican-held districts.
California and Illinois are poised to use redistricting to offset some or all Republican seats gained under the scheme.
In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts have no authority to rule on state redistricting plans. However, it said state courts can still decide such cases under their own laws.
With Missouri being thrust into the national spotlight because of Kehoe’s call for redistricting, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said Wednesday that “Missouri Republicans are showing the nation that they will answer to Donald Trump’s beck and call — even if it directly undermines the will of Missourians.”
“Republicans know they’re going to be kicked to the curb [and] are orchestrating a cheating scandal the likes of which we’ve never seen, all because voters don’t like them anymore. But Democrats refuse to be the only party that plays by the rules. We will not stand idle while Republicans rig the game.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the proposed redistricting changes “would return Kansas City to segregation.”
“President Trump’s map will undermine Kansas City police, Kansas City schools, Kansas City infrastructure and Kansas City jobs,” Lucas said.
He said if redistricting is passed, it will be met with challenges “at the legislature; in the courtroom; and at the ballot box.”
State Sen. Brian Williams, who announced in July he is running for St. Louis County Executive, said on Wednesday that Trump is trying to look out for himself, not citizens.
“We are seeing Missouri Republicans follow suit with partisan maps and attacks on citizen petitions. That’s wrong,” Williams said. “Democracy belongs to the people, not party insiders.”
Bell called Cleaver “my friend and my ally.”
“I’ll stand with him — and with every Missourian whose voice they’re trying to silence — because this isn’t just about one district. It’s about whether we’re still a country where the people choose their leaders, or a country where politicians choose their voters.
“Republicans are willing to sell out their integrity to keep a weak man happy. That’s the choice they’ve made. And history will remember them for siding with tyranny.”