Congressional candidates Onder, Brattin seek to overturn Missouri Supreme Court map decision

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Supreme Court decided that a referendum challenging the 2025 "Missouri FIRST" map will go on the November ballot. That decision also means the general election must be held under the old map passed in 2022.

At least two lawsuits have been filed challenging parts of this decision and take it from the state's highest court to federal court. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, and she asks Justice Brett Kavanaugh to stay the decision and allow the November election to be held under the 2025 map.

In a separate lawsuit, U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, state Sen. Rick Brattin and two Missouri voters have sued the Secretary of State in the Eastern District of Missouri. This lawsuit looks to change which map is used in November.

Onder is running again for District 3, and Brattin is running for District 5 — which is currently held by Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. They claim the old map hurts their chances of winning because they campaigned in a different district geographically.

"Under von Glahn, they must now run in the general election in districts which include many voters to whom they did not campaign in the primary," attorney Marc Ellinger wrote in court documents.

District 5 is likely to flip parties under the 2025 map.

The voters Pat Thomas and Debra Havens have a similar argument.

"Thomas and Havens wish to vote in the general election in the Fifth Congressional district as they did in the primary but must now educate themselves about new candidates and issues because they are forced to vote in the general election for the Third Congressional district and for nominees whom they was not given a chance to vote for or against," Ellinger wrote.

The group is suing Secretary Denny Hoskins because he administers the election process, including the maps.

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