Trump-backed plan to redraw Missouri congressional districts draws opposition at first hearing

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents denounced a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts on Thursday as Republican lawmakers pressed ahead with President Donald Trump's strategy to bolster Republicans in next year's congressional elections.

Dozens of people turned out for the first public hearing on a plan that would split up a Kansas City congressional district to give Republicans a shot at winning seven of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats. Republicans already hold six of those seats.

"Kansas City does not want to be divided. We deserve representation and a voice,” said Kristen Ellis Johnson, an attorney from Kansas City who came to the Capitol with her husband and daughter. “You are dividing the urban-dwelling, liberal-leaning population to purposely change those votes.”

A Republican-led committee nonetheless endorsed the plan, advancing it a step closer to a House debate next week.

Missouri is the third state to join an emerging national battle between Republicans and Democrats seeking advantage in the way U.S. House districts are drawn.

At Trump's prodding, Texas redrew its U.S. House districts last month to give Republicans a chance at winning five additional seats. California countered with its own revised map aimed at giving Democrats a shot at winning five more U.S. House seats. The California plan still needs voter approval in November.

The stakes are high because, nationally, Democrats need to gain just three seats in the 2026 elections to take control of the House. And, historically, the party of the president usually loses congressional seats in midterm elections, as happened during Trump’s first term in office.

Missouri's revised congressional map, as proposed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, would target a seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by stretching it from Kansas City eastward to encompass rural Republican-leaning areas.

While lawmakers heard public criticism in Jefferson City, some opponents held a press conference in Kansas City near the point where three of the newly proposed districts would intersect. Edgar Palacios, president and CEO of the Latinx Education Collaborative, wore black to the event to decry the redistricting proposal.

“It feels like that, we are at a funeral — a funeral for democracy in Missouri,” Palacios said. “This gerrymander runs directly against everything we fight for. It says loud and clear, `Your voice, your community, your vote does not matter.'”

Ashley Sadowski, a mother whose 7- and 11-year-olds are students in Kansas City Public Schools, said the proposed map could have repercussions beyond who wins elections.

“This means that I would drive from my home in one congressional district to my son’s middle school in another congressional district,” she said. “This does not make sense.”

“Politicians are denying our children the unified voice they deserve in D.C," Sadowski added.

At the legislative hearing, lobbyist Shannon Cooper said Kansas City government opposes the revised map because having a single person represent most of the city in the U.S. House has helped bring federal jobs and projects to the region.

Some rural residents also said they didn't want to be combined into the same district as Kansas City.

“If they do that, people in Kansas City will not get their needs met in Congress. It totally dilutes their vote,” Glenda Bainbridge, a Democrat from rural Odessa, told The Associated Press as she waited her turn to testify against the bill.

Only one person spoke in favor of the new map at the hearing. A leader for Missouri Right to Life said the revised districts could help send another anti-abortion lawmaker to Washington, D.C.

State Rep. Dirk Deaton, who’s sponsoring the redistricting legislation, said the proposed map would split fewer counties and cities among multiple districts than the current congressional districts.

“It is an improvement. It is a reform of our current congressional map,” Deaton said.

He didn’t publicly disclose demographic data showing the racial makeup of the newly proposed districts. The Republican lawmaker said he didn’t have data on the estimated partisan composition of voters.

State Rep. Mark Sharp, of Kansas City, the ranking Democrat on the redistricting committee, denounced the plan as a “morally corrupt” attempt to push Cleaver “into an early retirement.”

Cleaver has said he would challenge the new map in court if it passes.

The Missouri NAACP has already filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to halt the special session. It argues that Kehoe’s call for a special session is unconstitutional because no extraordinary circumstance exists to justify it. It also asserts that the Missouri Constitution prohibits redrawing congressional districts without new census data or a ruling invalidating the current districts.

Under Missouri’s current map, only one district has been even moderately competitive. Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner won her suburban St. Louis seat with about 55% of the vote in each of the past two elections. Cleaver won reelection in both 2024 and 2022 with over 60% of the vote, and most of Missouri’s other districts had even larger victory margins.

Associated Press reporters Heather Hollingsworth and Nicholas Ingram contributed from Kansas City, Missouri.

Barbara Cates protests during a rally by residents opposed to plans to redraw Missouri's congressional districts, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Members of the Missouri House Democratic caucus, Rep. Mark Sharp, left, Rep. Ashley Aune, second from left, Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, top right, and Rep. Kem Smith, bottom right, listen as Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, center, and sponsor of a bill that would redraw the state's U.S. House districts, testifies during a committee hearing on the bill, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ranking minority member Missouri state Rep. Mark Sharp, D-Kansas City, listens as lawmakers hold a committee hearing to consider redrawing the state's U.S. House districts, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Missouri state Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, sponsor of a bill that would redraw the state's U.S. House districts, looks into the crowd behind him as he testifies during a committee hearing on the subject Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A person lifts a sign as Missouri lawmakers hold a committee hearing to consider redrawing the state's U.S. House districts Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Robin Rothove, left, and Paula Smith, right, demonstrate outside the Missouri Capitol as lawmakers prepare to conduct a committee hearing inside to consider redrawing the state's U.S. House districts, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

BOSTON (AP) — When Zdeno Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, the No. 3 he wore early in his career had already been retired by the Original Six franchise.

So he picked No. 33 without giving it much thought.

“Little did I know how meaningful 33 was,” Chara said on Thursday night before his number was raised to the TD Garden rafters not far from where Larry Bird's No. 33 already hangs in Celtics green.

It is the 13th number retired by the Bruins, and the latest in a collection of Hall of Fame defenseman that runs from Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Raymond Bourque.

“It's a huge honor,” Chara told reporters. "I can’t explain to you how honored I feel. I’m humbled about being selected to be one of the numbers being retired. Being with that history, forever."

The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman; at 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06m), he is the tallest player in league history, and his 108.8 mph (175.1 kmh) slap shot in the 2012 skills competition remains the NHL record.

But his teammates and other Bruins attending Thursday's ceremony said Chara's biggest contribution was signing with a team that hadn't won a playoff series in six years — “the best decision I ever made” — and turning them into champions.

“Things really changed when Zee came here as a free agent,” Bourque said. "From that point on, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.

“He’s a legend,” Bourque said. “He really deserves to be up there.”

Bourque was among the former Bruins greats in attendance, along with Orr — both of them, like Chara, Boston defensemen who finished their careers elsewhere on their way to the Hall of Fame. They arrived via gold carpet that led them past adoring fans and the statue of Orr flying through the air following his Cup-winning goal in the 1970 finals.

Other fellow retired number honorees in attendance included Cam Neely, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly and John Bucyk. The current Bruins sat on the bench, all wearing Chara jerseys.

Five members of the 2011 roster — Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask — carried the retired number onto the ice, and teammate Andrew Ference served as emcee.

In his speech, Chara read the names of every player on the Bruins last Cup winners. Asked why, he said after: “Without championships, you are not going to be successful, you’re not going to be recognized.

"The championships, that’s what they do. They raise everyone, they extend careers for everyone,” he explained. "They create dynasties. They create stories. They create memories. They created what we’re experiencing tonight.

"It’s very simple: Once you win the championship, everything gets so much better for everyone. And the most beautiful thing about it: You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now still forever. It’s amazing; it’s like you’re seeing your brother. You trust the person; you know everything about them. And anytime anybody needs something, you’re there for them.

“That’s what winning championships do,” he said. “Not just for a career, but for the rest of your lives, it means something very special.”

The ceremony at center ice featured a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind it. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”

A highlight video featured former Bruins Brad Marchand and current coach Marco Sturm, Chara's teammate from 2006-10. Many of them spoke of the way Chara led by example.

“He wasn’t really a ‘Rah, rah!’ guy,” former Bruins forward and current team president Neely said, “but when he spoke, it was with a purpose.”

And so, when it was time to raise his No. 33 to the rafters, Chara stood by with his wife, Tatiana, while their children — Zack, Ben and Elliz — pulled the ropes.

“That’s the biggest reward for me: To see my children and my family doing it instead of me. I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it because it's so much more meaningful,” he explained. "They deserve that more than me."

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara leads his family over to his number "33" to raise it to the rafters before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, center, waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony, as Bruins' players with their number already retired, from left, Willie O'Ree, Rick Middleton, Terrry O'Reilly, Cam Neely, emcee Andrew Ferrance and Bobby Orr look on before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's number "33" is raised to the rafters at TD Garden before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Bobby Orr applauds, left bottom, as former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)