While no decision has been made on a possible special session for congressional redistricting, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe (R) confirms he’s spoken to the White House about it.
Governor Kehoe briefed reporters, including 939 the Eagle, after a rural education conference Tuesday afternoon at the Wyndham hotel in Columbia. The governor tells reporters that Missouri House and Senate members have been frustrated with the map drawn a few years ago:
“I think what Missourians should know is that what (U.S. House) Speaker (Mike) Johnson has done in the House of Representatives has much more aligned with Missourians’ values than another person would be, whether that’s (House Minority Leader) Hakeem Jeffries or somebody else. We want to keep the House in Republican control,” Governor Kehoe says.
State Sen. Nick Schroer (R-O’Fallon) and other special session supporters want to see a 7-1 GOP map in Missouri. While Democratic critics say that would be partisan and unfair, Governor Kehoe says Democratic states like Illinois and on the coasts have gerrymandered districts.
Governor Kehoe tells reporters in Columbia that he’ll work with legislative leaders to see if there’s a path forward. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers in Jefferson City:
“We’ve spoken with the Trump administration and with members of Congress, so those are all the stakeholders that are involved. And obviously Missourians are stakeholders too. We want to make sure we represent their conservative values in Washington DC, so that’s important,” says Kehoe.
Democratic critics say that would be gerrymandering.