Kansas City Star (8/27/21) on Whether Missouri Republicans Will Try to Increase Their Edge from 6-2 to 7-1 (MISSOURI)

The Kansas City Star examines whether the Missouri Legislature and governor will try to slice up Democrat Emanuel Cleaver's 5th District in the Kansas City area (no pun intended) to give the GOP a 7-1 edge in the state's U.S. House delegation rather than their current 6-2 margin (h/t Political Wire). Cleaver is African-American, as is Cori Bush, the state's only other Democratic U.S. representative, whose 1st District sits in the St. Louis area. The first-term Bush has gained a lot of attention recently for protesting the end of eviction moratoria across the country. As the Star article notes, however, "The 1st Congressional District is likely protected from 'discriminatory' changes by the federal Voting Rights Act because it is a majority-minority district, which makes it unlikely Republicans would be able to split it up." The topic of VRA-protected districts is one I would like to explore in greater depth as redistricting moves along across the country.