Maryland Gov. Moore testifies in support of congressional redistricting during hearing in state House

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore testified in support of congressional redistricting during a state House Rules Executive Nominations Committee hearing on Tuesday.

The governor expressed his support for House Bill 488. The legislation would also add a ballot question that asks voters if the proposed congressional maps should also be used for the 2028 and 2030 elections before being updated after the 2030 U.S. Census. 

Moore, a Democrat who is the nation's only serving Black governor, said the state needed to act to counter what he called "political redlining" by President Trump in other states at the cost of Black representation in Congress.

He compared Trump's push for GOP-friendly redistricting to discriminatory housing practices, saying the president and his allies "are doing everything in their power to silence the voices and trying to eliminate Black leadership — elected leadership — all over this country."

"So no, I will not sit quiet," Moore testified. "And the audacity of those who are telling me to do so shows that they have no understanding of the journey of so many who came before us."

Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in Maryland and already hold a 7-1 advantage in the state's U.S. House delegation, with Rep. Andy Harris the lone GOP representative.

Moore's push for mid-decade redistricting has run into opposition by a key fellow Democrat: state Senate President Bill Ferguson, of Baltimore, who says it could backfire and potentially cost a Democratic seat.

Ferguson pointed out that a map adopted in 2021 that would have made it easier to flip Harris' seat was ruled unconstitutional by a judge who called it "a product of extreme partisan gerrymandering." Maryland passed another map in 2022, and a legal fight was dropped.

Redrawing districts again could prompt a new legal challenge and lead a court to impose districts, Ferguson contends.

On Tuesday, he told reporters that his position has not changed, and a majority of Democratic state senators also oppose redistricting now.

"I understand that people have differences of opinion, but I don't see that shifting here," Ferguson said.

A Maryland House committee advanced legislation containing the map to the House after several hours of testimony from residents.

Julie Quick, who lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore in Harris' district, testified that the map "takes a sledgehammer to rural voting rights."

Ben Vaughan, who testified in favor of the map, told lawmakers "our democracy is a house on fire," and the state needs to "turn on the fire hoses."

Proposed congressional maps 

Maryland's Redistricting Advisory Commission voted last week to recommend new congressional maps. 

The proposed map redraws the 1st Congressional District, expanding it across the Chesapeake Bay into parts of Anne Arundel and Howard counties. 

The new map would also shift multiple other districts and would still favor Democrats. 

The state House and Senate both have to vote on the new map before they can be instituted. 

Members of the redistricting commission include Chair Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Senate President Bill Ferguson, the Speaker of the House, Cumberland Mayor Raymond Morriss, and former Attorney General Brian Frosh.

"At a moment when other states are moving aggressively to redraw maps, and when fundamental voting rights protections face renewed threats, Maryland has a responsibility to lead with urgency," said Sen. Alsobrooks in a statement last week. 

Congressional maps are usually redrawn every 10 years, after Census data reveals changes in the population. Maryland previously redrew its maps in 2022, following the 2020 Census. 

Several U.S. states have been pursuing mid-cycle redistricting as Republicans are seeking to maintain their slim majority in Congress. The redistricting effort also comes after President Trump asked Texas Republicans to find more seats. 

So far, Republicans gained nine more potential seats, and Democrats gained six, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this story