JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Senate on Thursday approved the state’s congressional map that appears to protect Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s hold on the 5th Congressional District.
The map, which passed the upper chamber by a vote of 22-11, appears to maintain the state’s current mix of six Republican and two Democratic members of Congress. It now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk, sidestepping immediate concerns that a federal or state judge would draw the state’s congressional boundaries.
Thursday’s vote illustrated the General Assembly’s last-minute attempt to fulfill its constitutional obligation and avoid the courts before the legislative session ends at 6 p.m. Friday. Three lawsuits already seek a solution in the courts if the legislature had failed.
