Republicans suffered a fresh blow in Missouri after the Supreme Court blocked a congressional map that could have helped the GOP gain another House seat in November.
The ruling, handed down last week, means Missouri will use its 2022 congressional map instead of the new boundaries backed by President Donald Trump and Missouri Republicans.
Missouri held its August primary under the new map, meaning candidates won their party nominations based on one set of district boundaries. But those boundaries will change before the November election, when Missouri is expected to return to its 2022 map.
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Typically, states redraw their congressional and state legislative districts once every decade after the Census to account for population changes and ensure that each district has roughly the same number of residents.
The new map would have shifted parts of Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district into more Republican-leaning areas, making the seat more competitive.
Republicans hoped the changes would help them win seven of Missouri’s eight House seats in the November midterm elections. The GOP currently holds six of the state’s eight seats, while Democrats hold two.
Missouri must now use the 2022 map, which keeps Cleaver’s district more favorable to Democrats.
The Supreme Court’s decision came after more than a year of legal battles over which congressional map Missouri should use.
Missouri held its August primary under the new map, but the state will use its 2022 district boundaries for the November general election. That means some voters could be assigned to a different congressional district in November than the one in which they voted during the primary.
The change could affect more than 1 million voters, or nearly one-fourth of Missouri’s electorate, according to an Associated Press estimate.
The conflicting court orders have added to the confusion, with the November election just weeks away. Candidates and election officials must now adjust to the 2022 boundaries.
The Supreme Court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
