It began with President Trump asking Texas to redraw its congressional map to win five additional House seats for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. This led California to respond with its own remapping initiative (which requires voters' assent this fall) to cancel out those seats, by taking back five seats for Democrats. Now, Missouri has entered the fray with its own remapping plans, to give Republicans one additional House seat in 2026.

Given the razor-thin split between Republicans and Democrats in the House, each seat is quite valuable. A House majority, no matter how small, may be the difference between the president’s agenda continuing or Democrats providing checks and balances against him — as well as the likelihood of a third impeachment.

A deep dive into the proposed new Missouri map reveals what the state might accomplish, and what other states can learn in the process.

In the 2024 election, Republicans won six seats, while Democrats won two seats. This was achieved by

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