Missouri voters reject Trump-backed congressional map in Proposition A referendum

Missouri voters defeated Proposition A on Tuesday, rejecting a congressional map that had been approved during the 2025 legislative session and backed by President Donald Trump. The measure lost 62% to 38%, according to the Associated Press, meaning the contested lines will not be used for the 2028 election.

The map, which would have split Kansas City into three districts and altered St. Louis-area boundaries, was intended to unseat Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. After opponents gathered enough signatures, the proposal was placed on the ballot, and both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the state must retain the 2022 map for the November election.

"This has been a long time coming, but this is what voters signaled to politicians when they flooded the Capitol and when they flooded the governor's office with phone calls saying not to do it," said People Not Politicians Executive Director Richard von Glahn.

"We have known that this was going to be the result since this all started. That's why politicians worked so hard to try to prevent this vote from happening. Because I think they knew too. Missourians do not want our elections rigged by insiders in D.C."

"They spent so much time and energy and lawsuits and shenanigans around this. Well, voters are looking for real solutions to our schools, to the cost of living, to our infrastructure, everything else. And so, I think you're seeing Missourians punish politicians who are only focused on themselves and their political careers, and not on what voters want and need."

"They were looking to try to shore up Ann Wagner as well, because they knew that she has been out of touch with that district for years. And so, maybe their fears and their predictions about what was going to happen there came true here."

The defeat follows a broader Republican effort, urged by President Trump, to redraw congressional districts before the 2026 midterms to protect GOP control of the U.S. House. Missouri was the second state, after Texas, to adopt such a plan. After the Supreme Court’s September decision, Republicans abandoned attempts to salvage the map, while opponents raised millions of dollars for a coordinated campaign.

The loss coincided with setbacks for Missouri Republicans, who lost two state Senate seats, 15 state House seats, and saw Democrat Fred Wellman defeat incumbent Ann Wagner in the 2nd Congressional District. Legal analysts note that a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling could allow lawmakers to redraw districts again in 2027 or 2028, though future referendums remain possible.

Missouri voters also approved Amendment 6, which bars the General Assembly from passing legislation that overturns referendum results, adding another hurdle for any subsequent redistricting efforts.