Gov. Wes Moore falls short in push to redraw Maryland's congressional
map to boost Democrats
[April 14, 2026]
By BRIAN WITTE
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Democrats have rejected an effort to
redraw the state's congressional map to boost their party's chances in
the midterm elections, a setback for Gov. Wes Moore who put his clout
behind the attempt to blunt President Donald Trump's own redistricting
campaign.
The clock officially ran out on the proposal late Monday night as the
state legislative session ended, a casualty of internal party
disagreements. In the end, the Maryland Senate left the bill in a
committee, with Democrats who control the chamber concerned it could
backfire under judicial review.
The unusual mid-decade redistricting spree, which started when Trump
encouraged Republican-controlled Texas to redraw their map last year, is
expected to continue next week. Republicans want to change congressional
boundaries during a special legislative session in Florida, while
Democrats are asking voters to approve a redistricting referendum in
Virginia.
But Democrats will not be poised to pick up a seat in Maryland, where
the proposed map would have made it easier for voters to oust the
state's lone Republican member of the U.S. House.
Moore, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said he disagreed with
another powerful Maryland Democrat, state Senate President Bill
Ferguson, about “what is required to be able to make sure we’re fighting
back" against Trump.
“This is not a political game to me," Moore said in an interview with
The Associated Press. "I don’t look at this as some kind of political
talking point. I look at the fact that I think Donald Trump is actively
trying to manipulate and change the rules around the November election
and beyond because he knows he cannot win on his policies.”
Ferguson has said redistricting could actually cost Democrats seats in
Maryland because, in the inevitable legal battle that would ensue, a
court could order a new map that would be even less favorable to the
party. He refused to budge despite pressure from Moore and U.S. House
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
While speaking at National Action Network in New York on Thursday with
the Rev. Al Sharpton, Moore complained that Trump was urging some states
to redraw maps to favor Republicans, while telling other states to “sit
on your hands.”
“Don’t play with me," Moore said. "And if the rest of the country is
going to have this conversation about mid-decade redistricting, then so
should Maryland, and so should every other state. Because until it is
done nationally, we have to make sure that this election is not stolen
right before our face so this pain is made permanent.”
But while Moore named a panel in November that proposed the new map for
Maryland, the governor could not prevail on the heavily Democratic
Maryland Senate to approve it.
When it was before the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, the
governor told lawmakers in January that the state needed to act to
counter what he called “political redlining” by Trump in other states at
the cost of Black representation in Congress.
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Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, speaks during the National Action
Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP
Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Moore, who is the nation's only serving Black governor, compared
Trump’s push for Republican-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.”
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.
The Maryland House passed legislation containing a new map in early
February, but the measure ran into opposition from Ferguson.
The senator pointed out 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 the parties dropped their
legal fight.
Meanwhile, here's a look at what's happening in other states this
month in mid-decade redistricting efforts:
Florida
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has scheduled a special session next
week for the Republican-dominated Legislature to draw new
congressional districts.
Currently, 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional seats are held by
Republicans.
Congressional districts in Florida that are redrawn to favor
Republicans could carry big consequences for Trump’s plan to reshape
districts in GOP-led states, which could give Republicans a shot at
winning additional seats in the midterm elections and retaining
control of the closely divided U.S. House.
Virginia
Early balloting has already begun for a vote on a constitutional
amendment for a new congressional map in Virginia next week.
After a cascade of redistricting efforts, Republicans believe they
can win a combined nine more U.S. House seats in Texas, Missouri,
North Carolina and Ohio, while Democrats think they can win a total
of six more seats in California and Utah. Virginia could give
Democrats an extra four seats.
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