Is Maryland About to Enter the Gerrymander Arms Race?: Maryland House Leader Considers Further Gerrymandering
- Maryland Forward
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Last Tuesday, the Maryland House Majority Leader, Delegate David Moon, announced that he is introducing legislation to redraw Maryland's congressional districts if other states follow through on their threats to gerrymander.
This bill's introduction is in response to President Trump, who announced earlier this month that he wants red states, such as Texas, to redraw their congressional districts so that Republicans can retain their House majority come the 2026 midterms. In a swift response, California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to circumvent the state's voter-approved redistricting commission map to secure more seats for Democrats in Congress. Other states, such as Missouri and New York, expressed interest in this uncommon mid-decade redistricting. It appears that Maryland is ready to follow suit if states like Texas enact President Trump's wishes.
Maryland is no stranger when it comes to gerrymandering, as it has been regarded as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. In 2014, Chris Ingraham from the Washington Post noted that North Carolina and Maryland were essentially tied for the honor of most-gerrymandered state, home to some of the ugliest districts, and that Maryland's 3rd congressional district was the nation's most gerrymandered district.
In 2022, a Maryland judge blocked the General Assembly's new congressional map, ruling that it violated the Maryland Constitution and unfairly favored the Democratic Party.
The current Maryland Congressional Districts are more compact and contiguous. However, with these new interests across the U.S to redraw congressional districts mid-decade, Maryland may revert to similar previous maps and secure all 8 seats for just one party.
As California Democratic Assembly member Alex Lee said in response to Governor Newsom, "Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish. By legitimizing the race to the bottom of gerrymandering, Democrats will ultimately lose."
Ending gerrymandering is one of the Maryland Forward Party's top priorities, because the people have the right to decide who they elect, not the other way around. There are over 900,000 registered independents in Maryland. With Maryland having a closed primary system and facing these gerrymander threats, this newly introduced bill will further disenfranchise Marylanders, ensuring that only one party gets to represent and decide the nuanced and complex views of the diverse Maryland population. The Maryland Forward Party has a solution to end gerrymandering, one that has already been implemented in several states. It's time for Maryland to catch up with these states and move forward.
