Maryland won’t join the national parade of states drawing more partisan congressional lines under pressure from — or in response to — President Donald Trump, the state’s Senate leader announced.
In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats on Tuesday night, Senate President Bill Ferguson wrote that despite a national “fight for democracy,” it would be unwise for Maryland to follow other states that have tweaked their congressional boundary lines to further favor one party or another.
“Despite deeply shared frustrations about the state of our country, mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is too dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined,” Ferguson wrote.
Maryland currently has seven Democrats and one Republican in its delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, and some believe that there’s a way to redraw the Eastern Shore-based 1st District to lean Democratic. Republican Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, has held that seat since 2011.
Potentially flipping that one seat from red to blue is attractive to some Democrats, as states have engaged in partisan redrawing battles as they look to who will control the House after next year’s midterm elections.
Maryland officials have been getting pressure from national Democrats behind closed doors. And last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a poll that it believes shows that voters in Maryland would support redistricting.
The redistricting arms race began with Trump urging Texas to redraw its maps to elect Republicans, followed by California putting forward a Democrat-friendly map that’s subject to voter approval next week. Other states have followed suit.
For Maryland to redraw the congressional boundaries, there would need to be alignment among Gov. Wes Moore, House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and Ferguson. Though all are Democrats, they’ve staked out different positions on whether to redistrict.
Moore and Jones have been supportive; Ferguson solidified his opposition with Tuesday’s letter.
Moore appeared unmoved by Ferguson’s stance when speaking to reporters near Annapolis Wednesday afternoon.
“My position still remains the same: That if these other states are going to have a process to determine whether or not they have fair elections, then the State of Maryland should do the same,” Moore said.
He added: “The General Assembly is a large body and while I have read the Senate president’s letter, one person cannot stop a process.”
Moore said he’s committed to “fair maps.” Asked what about the state’s current map is unfair, Moore noted that some members of Congress have won by large margins.
The governor said calling a special session of the General Assembly is not off the table. It would be politically risky, however, for the governor to proceed if the Senate president and a majority of Senate Democrats are not on board.
Jones, in early October, said “now is the time” to redraw the district boundaries, saying she would be “a ready and an eager and a willing partner” to Moore in the effort.
She reiterated her position on Wednesday, saying that: “Closing the door now on the mid-cycle redistricting debate denies our constituents the opportunity to voice their opinion on an issue that goes far beyond their district lines.”
Some delegates and senators have joined the pro-redistricting camp.
Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, vice chair of the committee that handles elections issues, said Maryland should “step up” and act.
“We can’t miss this moment to ensure accountability and fair representation,” said Wilkins, a Montgomery County Democrat. “Our democracy is at stake in a real way, and we have an obligation to make sure district lines truly reflect our communities.”
Sen. Clarence Lam, a Howard County Democrat, drafted legislation requiring the state to redistrict and included a proposed boundary map. Reached Wednesday, he declined to comment.
But Ferguson pointed out pitfalls in his letter, which was first reported by Politico late Tuesday.
He recalled the last round of redistricting following the 2020 Census, when a more Democrat-friendly map that was passed by the General Assembly was challenged in court by Republicans. After an early loss in the legal process, the legislature redrew the map to its current state, and the legal challenges were withdrawn.
Ferguson warned that should lawmakers draw a map likely to elect all Democrats to Congress, it might not survive the inevitable legal scrutiny.
He also noted that if Maryland redistricts to gain one Democratic seat, it will likely embolden another Republican-dominated state to do the same.
“That means that Maryland’s potential gain of one seat is immediately eliminated, and, in fact, worsens the national outlook,” Ferguson wrote.
And given that Maryland has long fought against racially-motivated gerrymandering, Ferguson wrote, it would be “hypocritical” to then support gerrymandering to disadvantage Republicans. About 31% of Maryland’s voters are registered Republican, he noted.
Ferguson’s move was praised by Republicans in the House of Delegates opposed to redistricting and rippled through the U.S. Capitol.
“Maryland is not a 7-1 Democratic state by registration, voting history, or geography and it is surely not an ‘all-Democrat’ state,” Del. Jason Buckel, the House minority leader, said in a statement. He said he hopes Ferguson’s letter ends speculation about redistricting in Maryland.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, speaking with reporters Wednesday afternoon said his conversations with Moore, Maryland General Assembly leaders and members of Congress assured him that Maryland “understood the assignment” and “will respond in short order.”
Baltimore Banner reporter Brenda Wintrode contributed to this article.
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