Maryland Legislature Ends Without Redistricting Vote

Maryland's Democratic-controlled legislature ended its session without approving a proposed redistricting of congressional districts, preserving the state's current map for the November midterm elections. The decision represents a missed opportunity for Democrats to potentially unseat the party's lone Republican House member, Rep. Andy Harris, amid a wave of mid-decade redistricting efforts across the country.

The proposal, advanced by a panel appointed by Gov. Wes Moore in November, aimed to redraw boundaries in a way that could favor Democratic candidates. The state House passed the measure in early February, but the Senate, led by President Bill Ferguson, declined to bring it out of committee before the session expired late Monday. Internal divisions centered on fears of legal challenges, with Ferguson citing a 2021 redistricting attempt that a judge invalidated as extreme partisan gerrymandering. He argued that a court-imposed alternative map could harm Democrats more than the existing one, which gives the party a 7-1 edge in Maryland's delegation.

Gov. Moore, the nation's only Black governor, pressed for action to counter similar moves in Republican-led states. "This is not...