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The Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) filed a lawsuit Thursday defending Missouri’s new congressional map.
The RNC told Digital the lawsuit aims to intervene as Democrats escalate what Republicans describe as a nationwide campaign to block legally enacted redistricting laws.
“Democrats across the country are using frivolous lawsuits to cling to power after failing at the ballot box,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “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 RNC said the new congressional map, enacted by the Missouri General Assembly last year, fully complies with the state constitution. Opponents of the map dispute that claim and have argued in court that the plan violates provisions of the Missouri Constitution.
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Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters is claiming victory over Democrat efforts to block efforts to kick noncitizens skipping out of North Carolina jury duty from the state’s voter rolls. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP)
“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 said.
“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,” he added.
The lawsuit comes as referendum organizers and other opponents of the map seek court action related to petitions that would allow Missouri voters to decide whether to restore the state’s previous congressional map. Republicans argue certification should not occur before the state’s signature-verification process is complete.
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe applauds while delivering the State of the State address in Jefferson City, Mo., on Jan. 28, 2025. (Jeff Roberson/AP)
According to the RNC, certifying the referendum before the review process is finished could temporarily block implementation of the new map.
The lawsuit seeks to allow the review process to continue and ensure election laws are followed before any referendum moves forward.
The RNC also said Democrats and allied groups have already spent more than $6 million unsuccessfully challenging Missouri’s maps in court.
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Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri waits to speak against a proposed congressional redistricting plan at a state Senate committee hearing in Jefferson City, Mo., on Sept. 11, 2025. (David A. Lieb/AP)
The case comes after the Supreme Court last month ruled 6-3 that Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map — redrawn to create a second majority-Black district — constituted an illegal racial gerrymander.
Supporters of the Missouri map argue the decision reinforces limits on the use of race in congressional redistricting. Voting-rights advocates and other legal experts have offered differing interpretations of the ruling’s broader implications for future redistricting cases.
The RNC pointed to the decision, arguing it reaffirmed that states cannot draw congressional maps predominantly based on race and that state legislatures retain broad authority to draw districts reflecting their residents’ political preferences.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the new congressional map into law last year. Republicans believe the map could help the GOP gain an additional U.S. House seat in the 2026 midterms. Critics contend the map was designed to increase Republican electoral advantage and reduce the influence of some communities of interest, allegations supporters of the map reject.
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President Donald Trump praised the map in a Truth Social post at the time, calling it “FANTASTIC” and saying it would “help send an additional MAGA Republican to Congress in the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Paul Steinhauser and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
