51ºÚÁÏ

The Ballwin Republican told the Post-Dispatch Monday that she intends to seek another term in 2026 to continue her grip on the suburban 51ºÚÁÏ district she has represented since 2013.

“While redistricting is up to the state legislature and the governor, I am fully supportive of their efforts and have made that clear to the governor and the president. Whatever the legislature ends up doing, I am running for re-election and will win the Second Congressional District,� Wagner said in a statement.

Her comments come as President Donald Trump is urging Missouri and other states to redraw their congressional boundaries in hopes of electing more Republicans to ward off a possible midterm loss of GOP power in the 2026 election.

The focus for now is on Texas, where Republicans hold 25 of 38 seats. Democratic lawmakers there have left the state to preempt a vote by the Republican majority.

In Missouri, the discussions have centered on eliminating the Democratic-aligned 5th Congressional District in Kansas City held by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to give Republicans an opportunity to control seven of the state’s eight districts.

In doing so, however, that could require more Democrats to be placed in Republican districts like Wagner’s, potentially diluting her GOP base.

While other Republicans in Missouri routinely cruise to victory in congressional races based on the current maps, Wagner has won with less than 60% support in the two elections held since the maps were redrawn to reflect the 2020 census.

The district, based in 51ºÚÁÏ County, includes most of the area’s southern and western suburbs, including parts of St. Charles County and Jefferson County.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell is unlikely to be affected by a new map because his 51ºÚÁÏ-based 1st District is protected by the Voting Rights Act.

To alter the map this year, Gov. Mike Kehoe would have to call a special session of the General Assembly. Talks have been underway between the Republican governor and GOP leaders in the House and Senate.

On Friday, Senate President Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, met with Kehoe’s top legal counsel, Lowell Pearson, in her office in the Capitol. She said on talk radio that a special session was “likely.�

Lt. Gov. David Wasinger, a Republican newcomer who took over Kehoe’s old job earlier this year, said the current map “sends two progressive Democrats to push a liberal agenda in D.C., misrepresenting the will of Missouri voters.�

He added, “We missed the chance to secure a 7-1 map in 2022, a mistake President Trump rightly calls on us to fix.�

Sen. Curtis Trent, a Springfield Republican, also said he is ready to approve a map that favors a 7-1 Republican advantage.

“This is our chance to right the wrong of 2022 and deliver the map Missouri voters deserve,� Trent said Monday. “I’m ready to lead that fight.�

Black leaders and Democrats in the Missouri House and Senate have condemned the redistricting effort.

In a statement issued Monday, the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus called the efforts “egregious and politically motivated,� coming just three years after state lawmakers approved the current legislative map based on the once-per-decade national census.

“This isn’t about representation. It’s about damage control,� said Rep. Michael Johnson, D-Kansas City, who chairs the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus. “President Trump sees the writing on the wall and wants to rig the rules before voters have their say. Lawmakers in Missouri shouldn’t be complicit in that. Redrawing the 5th District now is a blatant attempt to hold onto power.�

In the statement, the caucus said Cleaver “has honorably represented the 5th Congressional District for over 20 years and has earned respect on both sides of the aisle in Congress.�

Cleaver also has condemned the move.