GOP Defends Missouri Map Against Court Challenge

The National Republican Congressional Committee and Republican National Committee defended Missouri's newly enacted congressional map, arguing that Democrats and allied groups are attempting to use the courts to overturn a lawfully approved redistricting plan after suffering a series of defeats nationwide.

The intervention comes as legal challenges to Missouri's 2025 congressional map continue to unfold, even after the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously upheld Gov. Mike Kehoe's authority to call the extraordinary legislative session that approved the new districts.

"The people of Missouri deserve fair and equal representation, not a partisan power grab designed to silence voters and overturn a lawfully enacted map," NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said in a statement emailed to Newsmax on Thursday night.

"The NRCC and RNC are standing up for the integrity of the democratic process and defending Missourians' right to have their voices heard under fair congressional districts."

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters accused Democrats of relying on litigation after electoral setbacks.

"Democrats across the country are using frivolous lawsuits to cling to power after failing at the ballot box," Gruters said. "The RNC is fighting for the values of Missourians against Democrats trying to use the courts to rig congressional districts in their favor and override the will of voters."

The NRCC and RNC said Missouri's congressional map was lawfully enacted by the General Assembly and complies with the state constitution.

Republicans also pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which they said reaffirmed that states cannot draw districts predominantly based on race and that legislatures retain broad authority to craft maps reflecting the political makeup of their states.

The announcement follows a significant victory for Republicans in Missouri.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 7-0 that Kehoe acted within his constitutional authority when he convened lawmakers for an extraordinary session to consider congressional redistricting, KRCG reported.

The lawsuit, brought by the Missouri NAACP, argued there was no urgent circumstance justifying the session.

The court rejected that argument, concluding that the state constitution places no meaningful limitation on the governor's discretion to call lawmakers into session when the legislature is not already meeting.

Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats.

The revised map is widely viewed as strengthening GOP prospects in the state and potentially putting additional pressure on Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-based district.

The NRCC noted that Democrats and allied groups have spent millions challenging Missouri's map in court, while also highlighting unsuccessful efforts to redraw congressional districts in other states, including Virginia.

Republicans argue that those cases reflect a broader national strategy to achieve through litigation what Democrats could not accomplish at the ballot box.