Governor Wes Moore has created a commission to consider possible mid-decade redistricting in Maryland, one of the nation’s most Democratic-leaning states, drawing support from some Democrats and sharp opposition from Republicans and several Democratic leaders who warn of legal and political risks.
Maryland, where Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the General Assembly, is considered one of the bluest states in the country and is one of a handful of Democratic-leaning states that could redraw congressional districts before the next midterm elections, according to NPR's reporting.
Governor Wes Moore has established a Redistricting Advisory Commission to study the idea of revising the state’s congressional map and to gather public input. NPR reports that the commission’s meetings have drawn large online audiences.
Maryland currently sends seven Democrats and one Republican — Representative Andy Harris — to the U.S. House of Representatives. Lawmakers previously approved a map that would likely have produced an 8–0 Democratic delegation, but courts blocked that plan and the legislature quickly adopted the current map with limited public input, NPR notes.
Republicans have voiced strong objections to revisiting the map. One opponent, Barbara Lafferty, who lives in the district that includes the state’s only Republican U.S. House member, told NPR, "If you take away that one congressional seat, for me, I have no voice."
In an interview cited by NPR, Harris said he opposes mid-decade redistricting and warned that Democrats could unintentionally weaken their position in the state.
"Not only could a new map be thrown out now, but the current map could be adjudicated by the court as one that is unduly partisan and force it to be redrawn to have two or three Republicans in Congress from Maryland," Harris said.
Support among Democrats for pursuing a new map is not uniform. NPR reports that some Democrats see redistricting as a way to counter efforts encouraged by former President Donald Trump and Republican officials in states such as Texas, while others prefer to focus on electoral organizing rather than changing district lines.
Barbara Osborn Kreamer, a former Democratic state legislator, told NPR she wants to defeat Harris at the ballot box without redrawing the map.
"Personally, it's an outrage to be represented by Andy Harris at this time, but we are working very hard in Hartford County to increase our base of volunteers, increase our activism," she said.
Another leading Democrat, Senate President Bill Ferguson, has expressed skepticism about reopening the state’s map. In an interview with Baltimore public radio station WYPR cited by NPR, Ferguson said a new map could again be struck down by the courts and that the current 7–1 delegation already gives Democrats strong representation.
"We are sending, from my perspective, seven Democrats to Washington to fight on behalf of Marylanders, and I think that's an important feature of where we are," Ferguson said.
John Willis, a public policy professor at the University of Baltimore and a former Democratic secretary of state in Maryland, told NPR that simply keeping the commission in place can serve as a warning to Republicans in other states.
"Why not be part of the conversation and tell the other states on the other side that if you're going to go to extreme lengths, you know, maybe we will, too. That's — it's an OK thing to say," Willis said.
He also cautioned that any attempt to redraw Harris’s district could ripple across the rest of the map.
"There are often unintended consequences. The public may, in fact, you know, vote differently than you think they will," he said.
According to NPR, the governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission has at least one more meeting scheduled. Moore has said he wants to hear from the public but has not explicitly called on lawmakers to pass a new map. NPR reports that he could ask legislators to consider redistricting before the end of the year or when they reconvene in January.
