MARYLAND -A redistricting commission formed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore voted this week to recommend a new congressional map that would re-election more difficult for the state’s lone Republican in Congress, Rep. Andy Harris (District 1) The proposal, which would draw Harris into a more Democrat-friendly district, now heads to Maryland’s Democratic-controlled Legislature.
The recommendation has further divided state leaders, with national Democrats and some Maryland lawmakers urging swift action ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Moore and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk support the plan, viewing it as part of a national response to Republican-led states that redrew congressional maps last year.
A proposed new congressional map has Maryland’s 1st District, currently represented by Republican Rep. Andy Harris, stretch across the Chesapeake Bay from the Eastern Shore into Anne Arundel and Howard counties (Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission).
But Senate President Bill Ferguson remains firmly opposed, warning of legal and political consequences if the map is adopted.
"The Governor's Commission recommended a map today (Tuesday) that is objectively unconstitutional and jeopardizes Maryland's existing map," Ferguson said Tuesday. "From the outset, the Senate's position has been consistent: in this important moment, Maryland cannot risk going backwards by giving the Trump Administration another seat or two in Congress from Maryland’s delegation."
House Republicans echoed those concerns, slamming the commission’s vote as a partisan move aimed at eliminating Republican representation in the state.
“The Redistricting Commission’s vote today 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,” said House Minority Leader Jason Buckel. “This Commission was merely a drawn-out political sham with a pre-determined outcome: to rid Maryland of any Republican representation in Congress and disenfranchise voters in Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.”
It is a similar move Democrats made in 2011 when they redrew the 6th District. It merged heavy Democratic areas in Montgomery County with long-standing Republican counties (Garrett, Allegany, Washington) in the western panhandle. It lead to the defeat of incumbent Roscoe Bartlett. Ever since, Harris" 1st District has been the only one the GOP has held.
To take effect for this year’s election, lawmakers would need to act quickly. The congressional filing deadline is Feb. 24, and the state’s primary is scheduled for June 23. Lawmakers could vote to move back both dates to accommodate the map change.