Wild Court Twist Breathes New Life Into GOP Midterm Map

News admin September 9, 2026 0 Comments

Wild Court Twist Breathes New Life Into GOP Midterm Map

Missouri officials plan to use GOP-friendly congressional maps for the midterms after a federal judge handed them a win in a heated election map fight with major ramifications for control of the House.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday against Missouri officials from using 2022 congressional maps for the midterm elections instead of the new Republican-favorable map used during the 2026 primary. The judge said using the old map would disenfranchise primary voters who had already cast their ballots in the primary.

“Disenfranchising voters across the state and denying them their constitutional right to have their primary votes counted significantly harm the public interest,” Eastern District of Missouri Chief Judge Stephen Clark wrote. “Using a different map for the general election would wreak havoc on the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections, calling into question the candidacy of those nominated in the primaries and the votes of those who voted in the primaries. Widespread voter confusion would inevitably follow.”

The ruling comes after Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), Republican congressional nominee Rick Brattin, and two Missouri primary voters argued that their votes would be invalidated if the old maps were reinstated for the November election. Clark, appointed by President Donald Trump, agreed with their argument.

The decision is a significant win for Republicans who seek to maintain their majority in the House in the upcoming November election. The map Clark said the state must use was passed in 2025 and is expected to yield a 7-1 House seat advantage for the GOP as opposed to the old 6-2 maps.

Clark’s decision sets up a conflict with the state Supreme Court, which sided last week with a leftist group that argued the new maps need to be approved via referendum. The court said the state must use the old 2022 map because the new map was not approved via referendum.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh declined Tuesday to take up an appeal of the state Supreme Court’s ruling from Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. However, Missouri officials, including Governor Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, said Tuesday evening they planned to comply with Clark’s decision.

“We are grateful for Chief Judge Clark’s decision to provide much-needed clarity for Missouri voters and the election process. With today marking the deadline for changes to the November ballot, the Missouri First Map will be used in the general election,” Kehoe said. “Voters and candidates deserve consistency, certainty, and not to have the rules changed between elections.”

After Clark’s ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court threatened to hold Hoskins in contempt and ordered a hearing Thursday over whether he abided by their decision. In response, Hoskins said he planned to follow the federal court’s order.

“Missouri is and always will be the place I call home. I will always fight to protect our common-sense Missouri values from a liberal Democrat Socialist and his out-of-state NYC sugar daddies,” he said. “The Show Me State will not be run into the ground like the communists running NYC on my watch. I will continue to abide by Judge Clark’s federal temporary restraining order on a federal congressional election. I look forward to my day in court.”