Maryland Democrats advance new map that would eliminate sole GOP-held seat

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on Feb 2, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The Maryland House on Monday approved a new congressional map that would favor Democrats in all eight of the state’s districts.

The 99-37 vote sends the measure to the state Senate, where its prospects for passage remain uncertain. Bill Ferguson, the chamber’s top Democrat, has opposed his party’s push to eliminate Maryland’s sole Republican-held seat in Congress, the 1st District represented by Rep. Andy Harris.

Mid-decade redistricting has reshaped this year’s midterm battleground. Several states have reconsidered their congressional maps over the past several months as both parties race to gain an advantage in the fight for the House, where Republicans are defending a narrow majority.

The debate over the new Maryland map harks back to what played out late last year in Indiana, where Republicans in the state House passed a new map that sought to dismantle the state’s two Democratic-held seats only to see the proposal rejected in the state Senate. Indiana Republicans hold supermajorities in both legislative chambers, as do their Democratic counterparts in Maryland.

Maryland Democrats have attempted to shut Republicans out of the state’s House delegation before. They sought to target Harris’ Eastern Shore seat following redistricting after the 2020 census, but a state judge blocked the effort, calling it an “extreme partisan gerrymander.” Court challenges are expected this year if the state ends up enacting a new map.

Maryland joined the redistricting fight last year when Democratic Gov. Wes Moore tasked an advisory commission with considering whether to redraw the state’s congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Last month, the panel recommended a Democrat-favored map, but it must be passed by the state legislature.

Moore testified before a state House committee about the proposed map last week, saying that Maryland should be a part of the national conversation around mid-decade redistricting but arguing the state had taken a more thoughtful approach than Republican-led efforts elsewhere.

“It is imperative that Maryland do its part to ensure that Congress is able to function as a meaningful check on executive overreach,” Moore said. “Now is the time for the General Assembly to do what Marylanders expect.”

Under the measure approved Monday, Maryland voters would also be given the chance to weigh in this November on whether to leave the new map in place for the 2028 and 2030 elections.

So far this cycle, Texas, California, North Carolina and Missouri have approved new partisan maps for the 2026 elections. Other states getting new lines include Ohio and Utah, while GOP-led Florida is poised to consider redrawing its map in April. Virginia Democrats are aiming to put a new map on the ballot this spring, though they ran into a legal setback last month.

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