Maryland Democrats advance new congressional lines in state House

Maryland Democrats advanced a new set of congressional lines that would eliminate the state’s one remaining GOP-held House seat on Monday.

The Maryland House of Delegates voted 99-37 to advance a new House map that would give Democrats an 8-0 edge in their congressional delegation. The state currently has a 7-1 Democratic edge.

The legislation would also tee up a constitutional amendment for November asking voters to allow the House map to be used until the 2030 decennial U.S. census reapportionment is wrapped up.

The legislation now heads to the state Senate, where it faces an uncertain future. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) has been a vocal critic of redistricting, and the new map may not even make it out of committee before the full Senate votes on it.

In a statement, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) lauded the passage of the new congressional lines in the state House and urged the upper chamber to pass them.

“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,” Moore said.

Maryland Democrats are moving quickly to redraw their House map ahead of November to offer their party an additional pickup opportunity ahead of the midterms.

The state tried to pass an aggressive 8-0 map heading into the 2022 midterms, but a court struck down the map as a partisan gerrymander — a scenario that could potentially play out for the party again.

Democrats are also looking to pass a new map in Virginia, where the party is eyeing between three and four pickup opportunities. A Virginia judge ruled against Democrats recently so that they wouldn’t be able to hold their referendum for the redistricting ballot measure in time, but the party has appealed that decision. 

Florida Republicans are also expected to convene in April for a special session to redraw the Sunshine State’s map. Republican could gain up to five seats there.