# Mike Kehoe Republican Governor of Missouri since January 13, 2025 — sworn in as the state's 58th governor by former U.S. Senator Roy Blunt at the Missouri State Capitol. Previously Lieutenant Governor (2018–2025) and Missouri State Senator (2011–2018). Defeated Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade by ~21 points in November 2024 to succeed term-limited [[Mike Parson]]. Born in St. Louis to a single mother after his father abandoned the family when Kehoe was one year old; one of six children. Worked his way up through automotive sales (he owned a Ford dealership) before entering state politics. Made public safety and economic development the central themes of his gubernatorial campaign. ## 2025 mid-decade redistricting On **2025-08-29** — the same day [[Greg Abbott]] signed the Texas redistricting map — Kehoe announced a Missouri special session to redraw the state's congressional map. The proposed map dismantled the safe Democratic 5th District held since 2005 by **[[Emanuel Cleaver]]**, the Kansas City seat. The new MO-5 was redrawn to stretch from urban Kansas City east into rural Osage County, splitting Jackson County across three districts. The dividing line between MO-4 and MO-5 inside Kansas City was set at **Troost Avenue** — the historic line of segregation in the city, a choice that became central to the racial-gerrymandering challenge. Kehoe paired the redistricting call with **initiative-petition reform** — a separate measure to make it harder for citizens to qualify ballot measures, including any future redistricting referendum. The Missouri State House passed the new map 2025-09-09; the Senate advanced it 2025-09-12; Kehoe signed it 2025-09-28. ACLU and Missouri voter plaintiffs filed suit; a Missouri trial court ruled on 2026-03-27 that the map could be used for 2026. A citizen-led ballot initiative to suspend the map gathered enough signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot, conditional on certification. See [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] for the full chronology. ## Related - [[Donald Trump]] — Kehoe's redistricting special session was widely reported as called under direct Trump-orbit pressure - [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] — Missouri-specific entries