Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said the Supreme Court’s ruling curbing race-based redistricting has reshaped the midterm election landscape, urging Republicans to go on offense and challenge congressional maps in blue states as Democrats hope to ride voter frustration over affordability to the ballot box. In a wide-ranging interview on redistricting, the economy, and midterm strategy, Schmitt described the high court’s decision as part of a “map war” that “opens up a much larger front” for targeting Democratic-led states like California and Illinois. The Republican, and former Missouri Attorney General, has called on the Department of Justice to sue California, arguing the voter-approved maps illegally relied on race to likely gain five blue seats. “I view it as all upside because the Democrats have been doing this forever,” Schmitt said to reporters, including The Daily Wire, noting that no Republicans represent the New England area in Congress.  Schmitt argued that the nationwide push to redraw maps in red states, combined with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, reflects a more aggressive Republican Party. “They understand that their political power is a real risk,” Schmitt said. “Just listen to [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries. I mean, this guy sounds like totally unhinged about how they will approach this.”  Last Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated a state referendum that would likely have allowed Democrats to pick up five blue seats, delivering a devastating setback to Democratic efforts to take back the House of Representatives. In response, some Democrats, including Jeffries, have floated lowering the retirement age to replace the entire Virginia Supreme Court with new nominees aligned with their political goals, according to the New York Times. Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) on Monday shot down the idea.  “I don’t know Hakeem Jeffries, I’m not a member of the House, but just watching him right now, he seems like [a] very desperate man because he thought he was going to be speaker,” Schmitt said. “I don’t know how everything’s going to play out, but this structural bias that they had for a long time over the next four to five years could be completely wiped out, and that’s a good thing.”  On Senate politics, Schmitt predicted Democrats will find an issue to force a government shutdown fight later this year, saying Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “fears the footsteps” of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).  “I actually think this is the most under-reported thing, maybe out there. I think they’re going to shut it down,” Schmitt said. “Despite what many of my appropriator friends want to believe, this is a new world. This is a different era,” Schmitt added. “This isn’t Ted Kennedy working with somebody on some bill; they’re legislative terrorists at this point.” Schmitt also backed a proposal to suspend the federal gas tax amid rising fuel prices, describing the pain at the pump, driven by the ongoing conflict with Iran, as “temporary.”  The national average price for gas stands at $4.504 per gallon, according to AAA. On Tuesday, the inflation rate jumped to the highest level in three years, outpacing wage gains.  A new CNN poll shows 70% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.  “I don’t like that they’re high now, but I do think they’re temporary,” Schmitt told reporters. “It’s about knocking out the nuclear capability, taking out their missile defense in the Navy, and it’s a limited engagement. I think, you know, that’s a very different thing than trying to build a Madisonian democracy in the sands of the Middle East.” Heading into the midterms, Schmitt said Republicans need to do a better job promoting provisions of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and suggested he plans to campaign for Republican candidates this fall. “The waitress that’s working the double shift — the fact that she doesn’t pay taxes on her tips anymore is a huge deal,” he said. “But I think that we need to be better messengers about it, no doubt about it.”