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Maryland redistricting push advances, but Senate resistance looms
The fight over congressional redistricting has taken a major step forward in Maryland, but it could already be running into a dead end. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald reports.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The fight over congressional redistricting has taken a major step forward in Maryland, but it could already be running into a dead end.
What we know:
The fight over redistricting in Maryland on Tuesday moved to the state Senate, after the House of Delegates approved a bill Monday night to redraw Maryland’s eight U.S. House seats.
The new map would put more Democrats into Congressman Andy Harris’s Eastern Shore district, in an effort to defeat the state’s only Republican member of Congress.
The vote wasn’t close. Democrats who control the House saw it sail through on a 99–37 vote.
The other side:
Even though Democrats also control the state Senate, the bill now faces a roadblock in the form of Senate President Bill Ferguson. He opposes redistricting, warning it could backfire politically for Democrats.
Republicans say it’s old-fashioned, unfair political gerrymandering.
"They’re not satisfied with being Maryland political figures, and they’ve chosen redistricting to get into the national stage," said Maryland House Republican Leader Del. Jason Buckel.
What's next:
With the bill now in the Maryland Senate, it’s likely to first land in the Senate Rules Committee. And that’s where it could stay.
If the bill does not advance out of committee, the full Senate won’t get to vote on it this year, and redistricting would have to wait for the next General Assembly session in 2027.