Missouri Senate pauses debate on congressional redistricting amid conservative roadblock

Almost a full week after the Missouri Senate began discussion on congressional redistricting, senators are pausing discussions over drawing Missouri’s congressional districts.

In a statement on Twitter issued Saturday evening, Senate Majority Floor Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said the Senate will step away from the debate.

He also criticized the inaction on the map.

“We have watched as business critical to [Missouri] citizens has been delayed by a small group of senators willing to send our congressional map to federal courts if they do not get districts that suit their ambition,” Rowden said.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, on Twitter called Rowden’s statement offensive. Onder is a member of the seven-person conservative caucus in the Senate that has advocated for a more Republican-leaning map.