Courts Uphold Redistricting; Carnahan Faces Clay

The voting districts stand. U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan will face incumbent U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay in the August primary for Democratic nominee in St. Louis' 1st Congressional District. 

The Missouri State Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday on the constitutionality of redistricted state House and U.S. House districts. The ruling affirmed previous lower court rulings, which put Rep. Carnahan's home within the 1st District, which Rep. Clay represents. 

The St. Louis area was reduced to primarily two Congressional districts based on population loss, as recorded in the 2010 U.S. Census. The 3rd district that Carnahan represented no longer exists as it was prior to redistricting.

At one time, it was unclear whether Carnahan, a Democrat, would opt to run in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes much of Chesterfield. But the district is considered heavily Republican. Ballwin resident and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee Ann Wagner looks like the frontrunner.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that in its challenge to the new voting district lines, a group claimed a nonpartisan redistricting commission used closed-door meetings. The court stuck to a lower judge’s ruling that the commission’s map is constitutional. 

The primary election is Aug. 7.

See our previous coverage of the Clay/Carnahan race: