Missouri’s redistricting fight draws rebuke from local, national faith leaders
By Andy Alcock
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Both national and local Christian leaders spoke out Wednesday against Missouri’s plan for a new congressional map.
They chose the National Baptist Convention, taking place this week at the Kansas City Convention Center, as their platform.
They believe the plan to take part of Kansas City away from the 5th Congressional District and make it more Republican-leaning by adding counties east of the city would disenfranchise minority voters.
And they believe it would be at the expense of current 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.
“We say to this Republican governor and this Republican legislature, don’t get clever with Cleaver’s seat,” said Rev. Dr. Christopher Bullock, National Baptist Convention Social, Civic, and Political Commission director.
“It is racism to attack a person who has served for the last 30 years in a seat that has helped not only Black and brown people but has also helped Caucasians in this part of the country and other parts of the country,” said Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, National Baptist Convention president.
Changing congressional maps to gain political power, also known as gerrymandering, is not new or happening only in Missouri.
In addition to Missouri, other Republican-led states either considering or redrawing maps include Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Florida.
Kansas currently isn’t on that list.
In 2022, Republicans changed the 3rd District map to make it more GOP-friendly and more challenging for 3rd District Congresswoman Sharice Davids. She won anyway and was re-elected last year. Davids is the only Democrat in Congress from Kansas.
“We view this as a power grab. And we’re trying to silence — they’re trying to silence — the voice of the people,” said Rev. Dr. Bobby Love of Second Baptist Church in Olathe.
At stake is control of the U.S. House of Representatives in what National Baptist Convention leaders called a “pivotal midterm election” next year.
There are currently 220 Republicans in the House, 213 Democrats and two open seats with pending special elections.
The National Baptist Convention plans to hold a voter registration drive in advance of the 2026 midterms and “get those souls to the polls.”
The group is also considering a possible lawsuit to challenge the legality of Missouri’s map.
The NAACP has already filed a suit claiming redrawing the map is unconstitutional in Missouri because maps are supposed to be redrawn only once every 10 years following a census, and the circumstances are not “extraordinary.”
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