The redistricting wars are continuing, this time in Missouri. The fight in Missouri has been brisk, with both sides reportedly shouting "Show Me!" repeatedly back and forth across the aisle. I'm not sure what they hope to achieve by that; it seems to be a Missouri thing. As some of you may know, I spent my formative years in Iowa, and we typically watched the goings-on of our southern neighbors with bemusement.
This contest, though, is for the whole cake. Missouri has been fighting for a new, more GOP-friendly congressional district map, which passed the legislature last fall and has been signed into law. But it's still being contested, and it seems to be lawsuits all the way down. In the latest move, the big GOP guns are entering the fray; the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) have now filed a lawsuit defending Missouri's new district map.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) filed a lawsuit Thursday defending Missouri’s new congressional map.
The RNC told Fox News 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.
The "opponents of the map" may be grasping at straws here, but both sides seem to be demonstrating all the stubbornness of a Missouri mule. The gist of the lawsuit seems to be in response to referendum organizers who are seeking to put forth petitions to put the redistricting map on the ballot.
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.
According to the RNC, certifying the referendum before the review process is finished could temporarily block implementation of the new map.
Until, perhaps, after the midterms? Feature, or bug?
Read More: GOP Scores Redistricting Win With MO Supreme Court Ruling
Missouri High Court Smacks Down Redistricting Challenge - and Referendum End Run
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.
Let's be honest: "Voting-rights advocates" usually aren't, that is, unless it is the votes of certain minority groups under discussion, and maybe an illegal alien or two, if they can slip them past the poll-watchers.
So far, the GOP seems to be scoring most of the wins in the Great Redistricting War. Let's hope they can keep it up.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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