On Monday, the Maryland state House passed a new Congressional map. While this is a crucial step in potentially putting another House seat in play for Democrats during the midterms, the Maryland redistricting effort may face significant pushback in the state Senate.
According to NBC News, Maryland’s new Congressional map would effectively give Democrats control of all eight of the state’s Congressional districts. The new map has the support of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and the state House passed the map in a 99-37 vote. Should it pass, the map will take effect ahead of the 2026 midterms and would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot allowing voters to decide whether to use the map for the next two elections.
“Tonight, the House took an important step to strengthen our democracy and ensure Maryland’s representation reflects the will of the people,” Moore said in a statement after the vote. “Now it’s time for the Maryland State Senate to do what Marylanders expect and democracy demands: Take up this map, debate it, improve it if needed — and vote.”
Democrats control the state House and Senate, so you would think this is a surefire win, right?
Not so fast.
The New York Times reports that state Senate President Bill Ferguson has been a staunch opponent of gerrymandering. Gov. Moore, along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, has held private meetings with Ferguson, but his stance has remained unchanging. He’s repeatedly said the redistricting effort doesn’t have the votes to pass in the state Senate, leading to concerns that he won’t hold a full vote over the map on the Senate floor.
“We all agree that what is happening at the federal level is unconscionable,” Ferguson told reporters. “What we have to do, from our perspective, is focus on the things that will make a true difference for Marylanders, and that will have an actual impact.”
Given Ferguson’s stance, it’s very likely that Maryland’s redistricting effort could have a similar turnout to Indiana’s. Indiana was one of several Red states President Donald Trump pressured into a mid-decade redistricting effort.
Despite Indiana voters overwhelmingly being opposed to the redistricting effort, the state House passed a new Congressional map that would’ve given Republicans control of all of Indiana’s congressional districts. The redistricting effort never had the support of Indiana’s Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, resulting in the map failing to secure the necessary votes in the state Senate.
Moore gave thinly veiled criticism to the map’s Democratic opponents during a House committee hearing last week. “I know that history is not going to remember the Trump-Vance administration kindly,” Moore said. “For all those who are looking for all the reasons why we should not respond, instead of using your energy to find ways to respond … history will remember you worse.”
Maryland and Virginia are the only two remaining blue states with a viable path to redistricting, but both are facing separate roadblocks at the moment. While Virginia’s redistricting effort gained the necessary votes in the Grand Assembly, a federal judge recently ruled that the effort was illegal. Virginia legislators are expected to appeal the decision, which, if successful, could lead the state to adopt a map that gives Democrats an extra three to four seats in the midterms.
SEE ALSO:
Maryland Redistricting Map Removes State’s 1 Republican Seat
