javascript - React component not re-rendering on state change

Question

I have a React Class that's going to an API to get content. I've confirmed the data is coming back, but it's not re-rendering:

var DealsList = React.createClass({
  getInitialState: function() {
    return { deals: [] };
  },
  componentDidMount: function() {
    this.loadDealsFromServer();
  },
  loadDealsFromServer: function() {
    var newDeals = [];

    chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: "findDeals", personId: this.props.person.id }, function(deals) {
      newDeals = deals;
    });

    this.setState({ deals: newDeals });
  },
  render: function() {
    var dealNodes = this.state.deals.map(function(deal, index) {
      return (
        <Deal deal={deal} key={index} />
      );
    });
    return (
      <div className="deals">
        <table>
          <thead>
            <tr>
              <td>Name</td>
              <td>Amount</td>
              <td>Stage</td>
              <td>Probability</td>
              <td>Status</td>
              <td>Exp. Close</td>
            </tr>
          </thead>
          <tbody>
            {dealNodes}
          </tbody>
        </table>
      </div>
    );
  }
});

However, if I add a debugger like below, newDeals are populated, and then once I continue, i see the data:

  loadDealsFromServer: function() {
    var newDeals = [];

    chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: "findDeals", personId: this.props.person.id }, function(deals) {
      newDeals = deals;
    });
    debugger
    this.setState({ deals: newDeals });
  },

This is what's calling deals list:

var Gmail = React.createClass({
  render: function() {
    return (
      <div className="main">
        <div className="panel">
          <DealsList person={this.props.person} />
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  }
});

Answer 1

I'd like to add to this the enormously simple, but oh so easily made mistake of writing:

this.state.something = 'changed';

... and then not understanding why it's not rendering and Googling and coming on this page, only to realize that you should have written:

this.setState({something: 'changed'});

React only triggers a re-render if you use setState to update the state.