The Maryland House of Delegates passed House Bill 488 by a vote of 99-37 that broke mostly along party lines: Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes joined 36 Republicans voting against the measure.
The House gave final approval Monday to a bill that would redraw the state’s eight congressional districts, following an exhaustive four hours of passionate, sometimes personal debate.
The House passed House Bill 488 by a vote of 99-37 that broke mostly along party lines: Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) joined 36 Republicans voting against the measure.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to stall. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and the Democratic majority in the chamber have long said they are opposed to redistricting in the middle of a decade, and fear it could backfire on Democrats seeking an advantage in this fall’s elections.
House Speaker Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk called on Senate President Bill Ferguson to “meet the moment” and pass the redistricting bill in the Senate.
Even so, House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk said she hopes Ferguson will soften his stance. She pointed to Republican states that have redistricted already in an effort to get a leg up in this fall’s congressional elections.
“I have spoken to the Senate president respectfully,” Peña-Melnyk said during an appearance on MSNOW with Gov. Wes Moore (D), moments after the vote. “I have told him that Florida is next. They have already called a special session for April, and this is simply the right thing to do. We must meet the moment.”
But the bill is likely to be assigned to the Rules Committee in the Senate. Most of the committee members are also part of Ferguson’s leadership team. The committee holds no hearings, does not meet regularly and has no staff. It serves as a legislative island of misfit toys for late-filed or unwanted bills.
Pressure on Ferguson and Senate Democrats by redistricting supporters has intensified over the last week, with Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller calling and texting senators in recent days.
Ferguson is expected to meet with reporters Tuesday morning. His spokesperson declined comment Monday following the House vote.
That vote followed hours of debate in the House, when each side reiterated its position on the bill: Republicans call it nothing more than a “rigged” process to eliminate the one GOP-held seat in the state’s congressional delegation, Democrats saying that the new map is both more fair and a necessary response to partisan redistricting in other states being driven by President Donald Trump (R).
The House voted 99-37 for House Bill 488. A sole Democrat, Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore), joined 36 Republicans opposing the bill.
Ferguson has repeatedly said he believes approval of a new map would not pass judicial muster. Additionally, he said he believes passage would reopen a 2022 court case that led to the state’s current map, where Democrats enjoy a 7-1 advantage.
That compromise came after a successful legal challenge, led by Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County), to a map that would have made all eight congressional districts in the state favorable to Democratic candidates. A state judge rejected that map, calling it a product of “extreme partisan gerrymandering.”
On Monday, Szeliga said she would go back to court if the current proposal becomes law.
“The Maryland courts already condemned intentional discrimination, voter dilution and retaliation based on a political party,” Szeliga said during the House debate.
“But you know what? Maryland Republicans, we won’t be erased,” she said. “We will not be silenced, and we will not accept this. We will see you in court, and once again, the Maryland Constitution will uphold our position and strike down this bill.”
Moore, in response to questions about the legal sufficiency of the proposed map, said “we have been working with lawyers and working judges.”
His office did not respond to a reporter’s question regarding judicial involvement, but the comment drew swift rebukes from House and Senate Republicans.
“Governor Moore’s admission on national television that he is trying to persuade judges to back a partisan gerrymander is extraordinary and inappropriate,” said Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore).
Ex parte communication with judges, especially in cases that could come before them, is typically frowned upon.
In 2002, then-Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. called two judges on what is now called the Supreme Court of Maryland to discuss a pending challenge to the state’s legislative redistricting maps at the time. The incident was reviewed by the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission. Miller, an attorney and the longest-serving Senate president in state history, was not sanctioned but later told reporters he attended a class on professional conduct.
House Minority Leader Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegeny).
“If Governor Moore believes his map is lawful, he should defend it openly and, on its merits, — not pressure the judiciary behind the scenes,” Hershey said. “Marylanders deserve a governor focused on the people and the process, not one auditioning for national political favor at the expense of our institutions.”
House Minority Leader Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany), who is an attorney, said such contact is inappropriate by potential litigants.
“It’s an absolute no-brainer. You cannot communicate with judges when they hear the case, regardless of what your posture is,” Buckel said. “If you do, the only remedy is for them to recuse themselves.”
A five-member panel voted behind closed doors Tuesday to advance a “congressional map concept” that will be used as a guide for legislation that will attempt to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo reports the Maryland redistricting commission’s work done for now, and the arguments are shifting to Annapolis.
A five-member panel voted behind closed doors Tuesday to advance a “congressional map concept” that will be used as a guide for legislation that will attempt to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts.
The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission voted 3-2 to recommend the map to Gov. Wes Moore (D) and the Maryland General Assembly. U.S. Senate Angela Alsobrooks (D), who chaired the panel, said the vote followed a “transparent redistricting process.”
“From the start, our commitment has been simple: Put Marylanders in the driver’s seat,” Alsobrooks said in a statement following a roughly one-hour meeting that the public could not observe.
“This process has been conducted in the open, with opportunities for the public to participate, weigh in, and submit their own map proposals for consideration,” her statement said. “All Marylanders — regardless of party, background, or ZIP code — can engage with this process, see the options, and make their voice heard.”
The concept map overhauls the 1st District — the state’s lone Republican district, held by GOP Rep. Andy Harris. While the district currently includes the Eastern Shore, Cecil, and part of eastern Baltimore County, the conceptual map would have it strething from the Eastern Shore over the Bay Bridge through Anne Arundel County and into part of Columbia in Howard County. The shift moves more liberal Democrats into the district held by Harris, the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Changes to districts held by Democrats do not appear to threaten control of those seats. The vote was blasted by state Republicans, with House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R-Allegany) saying it “confirmed what we have been saying all along: that this Commission had nothing to do with fairness, nothing to do with the wants and needs of our citizens, and, quite frankly, nothing to do with Maryland.”
“Instead, this Commission has everything to do with D.C. partisan politics and the desires of the Democratic National Committee,” Buckel said. “This Commission was merely a drawn-out political sham with a predetermined outcome: To rid Maryland of any Republican representation in Congress and disenfranchise voters in Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Nothing drives this home more than their absurd end product.”
National Democratic leaders, who have been pressing Maryland to respond to redistricting schemes in GOP states, hailed the vote.
“Partisan Republican hacks were counting on Democrats to roll over while they gerrymander congressional maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Florida,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. “They were wrong. Arrogant and corrupt Republicans started this battle. Democrats will end it. We will ensure that there is a free and fair midterm election in November.”
But redistricting still faces a difficult future in Maryland, where Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), a member of the commission, is opposed to midcycle redistricting. A redistricting bill, should it reach the Senate, is not expected to receive a vote from the full chamber.
Ferguson and fellow commission member, Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss, a Republican, voted against the proposed map Tuesday.
Ferguson said in a statement that the map “fails the Governor’s own test. It breaks apart more neighborhoods and communities than our existing map, and it fails the constitutional requirement of one person, one vote. We heard from no Boards of Elections. We heard nothing from the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, which would have to defend this process and outcome. We heard no testimony to the impact on our election cycle. Ultimately, a flawed process has delivered a flawed product.”
Morris, who said he was asked to serve on the commission to ensure fair congressional districts, said that, “After a while, it became obvious that definition of fair that was being put out there was what was fair for the Democratic Party.”
The governor’s office said it will send the proposed map to the House speaker’s office, and from there “it will be in the hands of the Maryland General Assembly,” Moore said recently, noting that it “is not an administration bill.”
Moore has defended the commission he empaneled as transparent. But there was little public notice for Tuesday’s closed-door meeting, the second time the panel met and made decisions in private.
Four of the five members reached by Maryland Matters said they believed the meeting should have been held in public, and that the public would have benefited from witnessing the deliberations. But former Attorney General Brian Frosh, a commission member, said that while the closed-door meeting bothered him “it’s the governor’s commission, and he can run in any way he wants…. If he says, you’re going to do this in private. I think we end up doing it in private.”
The work of the panel at times seemed slapped together. There was initial confusion about how districts needed to be drawn or if changes would affect local election boards. Alsobrooks, in the panel’s first meeting, promised in-person meetings, but those never materialized.
“I’ve had concerns about the way this process has moved forward from the get-go,” Ferguson told reporters during a meeting before the commission met.
The redistricting plan approved “in concept” Tuesday by the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission. The map would shift Democratic voters into the 1st District, currently held by GOP Rep. Andy Harris, and will require changes to equalize population in the districts. (Map courtesy Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission)
A concept of a map
The legislation will start in the House.
House Majority Leader Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery) said a bill could be introduced quickly — possibly as early as the end of next week.
“If you’re the Speaker’s office, you can get it done pretty quickly, but there’s still logistical process, right?” Moon said, adding that there are some “logistical” hurdles that will need to be overcome.
“It’s going to be a multiday process, but, but I do think we are talking a matter of days, not weeks,” Moon said. “And again, if there’s a will to act, I do believe you’ll see the House wanting to act as soon as possible. I would hope this could be a conversation handled in the first month of session.”
The map approved by the commission will not likely be the one that goes to lawmakers, said Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), a member of the commission who expects to lead the bill on the floor and may also be its sponsor.
“That map will not be the map submitted with the bill,” Wilson said. “It will be zeroed out. That was a concept of the map … because time is an issue. When citizens put maps in, they’re not going to be exact. If they were, well, that’d be a whole other question, wouldn’t it?”
The concept map increases the number of majority-minority districts from two to three. Two have populations that are at least 50% Black voters. But the map also included population deviations some members said would not meet strict “one person, one vote” population standards used by the courts.
Ferguson’s statement called the map “objectively unconstitutional.” He said the new map will likely result in the current map facing a court challenge. Democrats, he warned, risk losing seats the party currently holds.
Former Attorney General Brian Frosh, a member of the commission, said Ferguson’s characterization was inaccurate.
“We voted on a map in concept,” Frosh said, “The map needs to be tweaked. I don’t think it requires major changes. But it’s not perfectly aligned in terms of the numbers. You have to be within a few votes one way or another, a few people one way or another. It probably is out of line in a way that can be fixed.”
Frosh said the tweak should take “half an hour or 45 minutes by the folks at the Department of Legislative Services.”
The adjustments may not matter. Ferguson is a staunch opponent of mid-cycle redistricting, and any bill passed by the House is likely to be sent to the Senate Rules Committee to die without a committee hearing or full Senate vote.
‘Statistically, it just didn’t add up’
The commission recommended the concept map following a series of 10 meetings — two of which were closed to the public.
More than three dozen maps were submitted by the public. The maps ranged from the basic, with no supporting documentation, to sophisticated iterations that included party registration and demographic data. But in two meetings one map, which was later tweaked, clearly garnered most of the attention.
“To me, when 28 out of 30 people all talk about the same map, it seems just, I don’t know, it just seemed a little odd to me,” Morriss said. “Everybody seemed to know which map they were going to talk about.”
When asked if he felt an outcome had been predetermined, Morriss said it “definitely gave the perception, to me, that something could be a little odd about it. Statistically, it just didn’t add up. So, yes.”
Morriss questioned the vote by the panel, noting that most of the public testimony did not support mid-cycle redistricting.
“I look back at the beginning, when over 70% of the people didn’t want to move forward,” Morriss said. “I think that said a lot. I think what the public got from this was what the Democratic party wanted for the state of Maryland, and for their national agenda. I don’t think the public really got a real — let’s use the word fair — a real, fair analysis of the congressional districts in the state.”
Wilson rejected that argument, saying testimony of roughly 30 people in each meeting was not the only consideration for the commission.
“This was a hearing,” Wilson said. “Not a poll.”
WTOP’s Mike Murillo reports the Maryland redistricting commission’s work done for now, and the arguments are shifting to Annapolis.
The ‘fair’ question
Moore appointed the panel in Nove
mber, saying he he wanted to ensure the maps drawn in 2022 were “fair.” He has never provided a definition of the term.
But his efforts came as Republican states began hyper-partisan midcycle redistricting. The effort, kicked off in Texas, was seen as a way to improve chances of keeping a GOP majority in Congress in this fall’s elections.
In an interview a week ago, Moore said Maryland was reacting to Republican states who recast their maps to eliminate Democrats in Congress.
“The point is this is that if the rest of the country is going to go through a process of determining whether or not they have fair mass in a mid-decade process, then so will the state of Maryland,” Moore said during The Daily Record’s Eye on Annapolis opening day event.
In Maryland, the Democratic Party holds a 2-1 registration advantage over Republican voters, with Democrats accounting for about 50% of registered voters and the GOP and unaffiliated voters accounting for about 25% each.
Even so, Democrats hold seven of eight congressional seats in Maryland; 25 years ago, Republicans held four of the eight seats.
“It was not necessarily, in my mind, what was fair to all of the voters of the state of Maryland,” Morriss said of the commission’s work. “Especially in this case, the Republicans and the unaffiliated voters.”
Frosh said the commission and its recommendation was a response to Trump and MAGA Republicans policies on immigration, voting rights and the push for Republican states to redraw their own districts.
“I think that we can’t be holier than thou in this situation. If the Supreme Court says all you need to do is have an equal number of votes and not openly discriminate, then that’s what we should do,” Frosh said. “Why should we? Why should we cede that advantage to the Republican states? And I just think we’ve got to fight back, and as the old saying goes, you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.”
Wilson agreed and said complaints about fairness from Maryland Republicans are not persuasive when racial equity is under attack by the Republicans at the federal level.
“The one thing I will clearly say is that my children are a protected class, and we can’t pretend that African Americans are the same thing as being Republican,” Wilson said. “And I don’t hear them saying that … about Texas, about Florida, about Missouri. I don’t see them fighting for a protected class of people in a country with a history of racism and violence.
“And to be clear, they still have a voice. They can still vote,” said Wilson. “My people couldn’t vote for the longest time. They can still vote.”
Maryland Gov. Moore talks with WTOP about Democrats’ Election Day wins on the East Coast and the government shutdown’s impact.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is among the Democrats celebrating big wins for the party after voters largely threw their support behind Democratic candidates during Tuesday’s elections in Virginia, New York and New Jersey.
The states of Virginia and New Jersey elected two women as Democratic governors, including the first woman governor in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger.
Tuesday night was the backdrop to a lengthy government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history at 36 days. President Donald Trump has stated the federal government will restrict SNAP food aid, despite two judges’ rulings to use emergency funds.
Some states, including Maryland and Virginia, have put together plans to temporarily pay for funding gaps in the food stamp program.
Wes Moore talked about the developments with WTOP anchors Shawn Anderson and Anne Kramer.
WTOP anchors Anne Kramer and Shawn Anderson debrief on recent developments with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
This story will be updated to include a a full transcript of Moore’s interview with WTOP.
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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pressing forward with an effort to redraw the state’s congressional districts, despite opposition from a key legislative leader.
Maryland’s Democratic governor is pressing forward with an effort to redraw the state’s congressional districts, despite opposition from a key legislative leader of his own party.
Gov. Wes Moore (D), in a statement released to Maryland Matters, announced the formation of a five-member Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission, to be led by U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.). It is the latest move to redraw Maryland’s eight congressional districts with an eye toward eliminating the last Republican district.
“My commitment has been clear from Day One — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore said in the statement. “This commission will ensure the people are heard. I thank those who have raised their hands to lead this process, and I am confident in their ability to gather the views and perspectives of a broad range of voices throughout the state.”
Moore said the commission is charged with making recommendations to the governor and General Assembly on improving how the state’s eight congressional districts are drawn and ensuring “fair” congressional maps.
Those claims aside, the effort is part of a national battle for control of the House of Representatives before the 2026 midterm elections.
Maryland, like other states, redraws its congressional district lines every 10 years, following the decennial Census reports on population shifts.
But Texas, at the urging of President Donald Trump (R), redrew its districts earlier this year to make the map more friendly to GOP candidates next year. Other red states followed with mid-decade redistricting, and Democratic leaders in blue states have responded in kind.
California voters on Tuesday could move toward a map that would add five Democratic seats. Other states — including Maryland — are under pressure to follow suit. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has been calling Maryland lawmakers to press the issue, along with longtime Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th).
U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D), of Maryland, will chair a redistricting panel appointed Tuesday by Gov. Wes Moore (D). (File photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
Alsobrooks will lead a five-member panel that includes former Attorney General Brian Frosh and Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss, all appointed by Moore. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) or their designees would round out the commission.
“We have a president that treats our democracy with utter contempt. We have a Republican Party that is trying to rig the rules in response to their terrible polling,” Alsobrooks said in the statement from Moore’s office. “Let me be clear: Maryland deserves a fair map that represents the will of the people. That’s why I’m proud to chair this commission. Our democracy depends on all of us standing up in this moment.”
Currently, seven of Maryland’s eight congressional districts are held by Democrats. As recently as two decades ago, those eight seats were split evenly among the two parties in a state where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 2-1.
Moore said last week that he continues to consider calling a special legislative session to take up the issue of redistricting ahead of the 2026 General Assembly session, but Tuesday’s announcement makes no mention of a special session.
Such a session would come despite opposition in the Senate to any mid-decade redistricting plan.
The announcement Tuesday is the latest in a political standoff over redistricting between Moore, a rising star in national Democratic politics, and Ferguson, who said last week he opposes mid-cycle redistricting, and warned it could backfire on Democrats.
“Simply put, it is too risky and jeopardizes Maryland’s ability to fight against the radical Trump Administration. At a time where every seat in Congress matters, the potential for ceding yet another one to Republicans here in Maryland is simply too great,” he wrote in a confidential letter sent to his 34-member Democratic Caucus.
The legislature approved the current congressional map in 2022. The next one would normally be approved in 2032, after the 2030 Census.
The governor’s announcement highlighted a division within his own party. While Ferguson is opposed, Jones, the House leader, appears ready to join Moore.
Moore said his commission follows a model used by Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011. The panel, which is expected to meet this month, will solicit public feedback on the state’s current congressional maps and make recommendations, which could lead to legislation and a special session.
But where O’Malley’s committee held a dozen meetings over three months, Moore’s panel simply does not have that kind of time.
Maryland Senate President Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
There are roughly 10 weeks until the Jan. 14 start of the 2026 legislative session. Besides the looming holidays, many lawmakers are expected to take part in panels at the Maryland Association of Counties winter conference from Dec. 10-12, which previews issues in the upcoming legislative session.
A special session, if there is one, could fall around the first week of December, after lawmakers return from Thanksgiving and before the end of the year holiday lull.
Redistricting could have the potential to upend the state elections process.
Currently, the filing deadline for candidates is Feb. 24. New congressional maps would have to be approved in time to allow candidates to file in the appropriate districts. Map changes might require lawmakers to push back the primary election scheduled for June 23.
Federal law requiring ballots be mailed to overseas voters 45 days before the election will limit how late a primary can be held. And Maryland’s Nov. 3 general election cannot be changed. Those ballots will be mailed Sept. 19. Prior to that mailing, ballots must be certified and printed.
That sets up a scenario where the latest a primary election could be held is late July or early August — peak vacation season.
Further complicating matters are the almost inevitable state and federal court challenges that could delay implementation of the new districts.
And the possibility of a referendum challenge could also delay the maps. If lawmakers opt to pass new maps using emergency legislation, a referendum challenge would not become effective until after the primary.
And while the probability of a successful referendum challenge is low, consequences could be severe should opponents succeed against an emergency bill. A successful challenge would likely invalidate the map under the challenged law and could leave Maryland without congressional representation, pending new maps and a special primary and general election.
