Hogan to sign Maryland redistricting map into law - WTOP
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will sign the new Maryland congressional district map into law Monday afternoon.
Maryland’s Democratic-controlled state legislature passed a revised congressional map last week.
The initial proposal was struck down in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court last month for being too partisan after state Republicans sued, claiming the new map constituted gerrymandering.
Hogan said in a statement that Democrats are dropping their appeal of the original map.
Last week, the judge said she wouldn’t issue a ruling on the new map until Hogan had acted on it.
Once signed into law, the map will remain in effect for the next decade.
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, said in a statement, “We are pleased Governor Hogan has agreed to sign the proposed congressional redistricting map approved by the General Assembly. This map, like the one previously passed by the General Assembly, is Constitutional and fair. Both sides have agreed to dismiss their appeals, and our state can move forward to the primary election.”
The new map makes the districts more compact, but Republican lawmakers contended last week that it’s still riddled with unfair partisan gerrymandering that would likely preserve the 7-1 advantage Democrats have over the GOP in the state’s U.S. House delegation in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.
The map is below; you can also look at it online.
The redrawn map includes several shifts that could have an impact on the 2022 elections, including in the D.C. area, Maryland Matters reports.
One of the notable changes is to Democratic House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer’s 5th District, which would no longer include College Park. That district had long been tailored for Hoyer, looping north and hooking around central Prince George’s County from Southern Maryland to include College Park. Under the latest map, District 5 encompasses a large portion of southern Anne Arundel County and moves north to include Fort Meade rather than turning west toward D.C.
Meanwhile, the 8th District would become even more solidly Democratic. In the 2011 map, the district looped north from Montgomery County to include rural areas of Carroll and northern Frederick counties. It would now be contained entirely within southern Montgomery County, virtually ensuring a Democratic victory in future elections. That district is currently represented by Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D).
Another District that would help an incumbent is the newly drawn 1st District, represented by Maryland’s lone congressional Republican, U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, who handily won reelection under the 2011 district map, which included portions of Harford, Baltimore and Carroll counties with the Eastern Shore.
District 1 was set to become much more competitive for Democrats in the December proposal, crossing the Chesapeake Bay to include parts of Anne Arundel County with the Eastern Shore. Under the latest map it would include all of Harford County instead to be a solidly Republican district.
The 4th District no longer would loop north and east from Prince George’s County to include parts of Anne Arundel County, but would be largely contained within Prince George’s County, plus a small area around Burtonsville in Montgomery County. That district will almost certainly lean Democratic and will have an open seat in the upcoming election after incumbent Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D) embarked on an attorney general bid.
“This map barely gives lip service to Judge Battaglia’s ruling,” said Del. Kathy Szeliga, a Baltimore County Republican who was one of the lawmakers who filed a lawsuit against the initial map, adding that the redrawn version is “still an extreme gerrymander.”
Del. Eric Luedtke, the House majority leader, said the new map has significantly more compact districts and reduces the number of county crossings in districts.
The map approved in December by a panel of lawmakers added Democrats to the lone Republican-held district, making a more competitive race for Republican Rep. Andy Harris. It also created the potential for Democrats to go 8-0 in Maryland.
The new map removes a portion that stretched Harris’ Eastern Shore district across the Chesapeake Bay into an area with more Democrats and restores GOP strength in the 1st Congressional District.
Some have also noted that the new map makes the congressional district in western Maryland more competitive, which incumbent Rep. David Trone, a Democrat, acknowledged in a statement Wednesday.
Maryland’s highest court already had delayed the state’s primary in a big election year from June 28 to July 19. Voters will decide all 188 seats in the state legislature, open statewide offices such as governor, attorney general and comptroller, a U.S. Senate seat and all eight congressional seats.
Hogan will speak on the new map at about 2:30 p.m.
Maryland Matters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
source: https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/04/hogan-to-sign-maryland-redistricting-map-into-law/
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