Jeffries leaves Maryland empty-handed in push to convince Democrats to redraw House map
Same show, different day.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is no closer to convincing Maryland Democrats to draw a new House map after a flurry of meetings with party officials in Annapolis.
Jeffries visited Annapolis on Wednesday to lobby Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson to redraw the state’s congressional map so Democrats could pick up an additional House seat in November. The plea fell on deaf ears with Ferguson warning that redistricting could “backfire” and imperil Democrats’ chances of retaking the House this fall.
“I appreciated the meeting with Leader Jeffries this morning,” Ferguson said in a statement after the meeting. “It’s precisely because we want Leader Jeffries in the majority that most members in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus do not support moving forward with mid-cycle redistricting that will backfire in our state courts and lose Democrats in Congress.”
Jeffries, for his part, challenged Ferguson’s vote count and said “a forceful Democratic response” was needed against President Donald Trump’s “malignant effort to rig the midterm elections.
“Bill Ferguson authentically believes that the votes don’t exist in the State Senate to move forward,” Jeffries said. “The only way to find out is to allow an immediate up-or-down vote on the Senate floor with respect to the new congressional map passed by the House of Delegates.”
Ferguson’s opposition has remained steadfast since October, when he first announced his decision not to bring new maps to the Senate floor.
Since then, Gov. Wes Moore has embraced redistricting, and the Maryland House of Delegates followed suit, passing a map earlier this month that would likely erase the sole GOP seat in the state’s congressional delegation. But without Ferguson’s blessing, the current map, a compromise with Republicans approved in 2022, is expected to stand.
Jeffries also met with Moore, House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk, Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Scott Phillips, and other members of the Maryland House Democratic Caucus in his swing through Annapolis, according to a readout of the meetings.
“I thanked them all for their leadership and courage in advancing a more competitive congressional map for the great state of Maryland,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries has separately been involved in efforts to redistrict in Virginia, Illinois, and beyond — part of a tit for tat with Trump that could determine the balance of power in Washington next year. Republicans currently hold a one-seat majority in the …
Same show, different day.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is no closer to convincing Maryland Democrats to draw a new House map after a flurry of meetings with party officials in Annapolis.
Jeffries visited Annapolis on Wednesday to lobby Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson to redraw the state’s congressional map so Democrats could pick up an additional House seat in November. The plea fell on deaf ears with Ferguson warning that redistricting could “backfire” and imperil Democrats’ chances of retaking the House this fall.
“I appreciated the meeting with Leader Jeffries this morning,” Ferguson said in a statement after the meeting. “It’s precisely because we want Leader Jeffries in the majority that most members in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus do not support moving forward with mid-cycle redistricting that will backfire in our state courts and lose Democrats in Congress.”
Jeffries, for his part, challenged Ferguson’s vote count and said “a forceful Democratic response” was needed against President Donald Trump’s “malignant effort to rig the midterm elections.
“Bill Ferguson authentically believes that the votes don’t exist in the State Senate to move forward,” Jeffries said. “The only way to find out is to allow an immediate up-or-down vote on the Senate floor with respect to the new congressional map passed by the House of Delegates.”
Ferguson’s opposition has remained steadfast since October, when he first announced his decision not to bring new maps to the Senate floor.
Since then, Gov. Wes Moore has embraced redistricting, and the Maryland House of Delegates followed suit, passing a map earlier this month that would likely erase the sole GOP seat in the state’s congressional delegation. But without Ferguson’s blessing, the current map, a compromise with Republicans approved in 2022, is expected to stand.
Jeffries also met with Moore, House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk, Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Scott Phillips, and other members of the Maryland House Democratic Caucus in his swing through Annapolis, according to a readout of the meetings.
“I thanked them all for their leadership and courage in advancing a more competitive congressional map for the great state of Maryland,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries has separately been involved in efforts to redistrict in Virginia, Illinois, and beyond — part of a tit for tat with Trump that could determine the balance of power in Washington next year. Republicans currently hold a one-seat majority in the …
Jeffries leaves Maryland empty-handed in push to convince Democrats to redraw House map
Same show, different day.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is no closer to convincing Maryland Democrats to draw a new House map after a flurry of meetings with party officials in Annapolis.
Jeffries visited Annapolis on Wednesday to lobby Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson to redraw the state’s congressional map so Democrats could pick up an additional House seat in November. The plea fell on deaf ears with Ferguson warning that redistricting could “backfire” and imperil Democrats’ chances of retaking the House this fall.
“I appreciated the meeting with Leader Jeffries this morning,” Ferguson said in a statement after the meeting. “It’s precisely because we want Leader Jeffries in the majority that most members in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus do not support moving forward with mid-cycle redistricting that will backfire in our state courts and lose Democrats in Congress.”
Jeffries, for his part, challenged Ferguson’s vote count and said “a forceful Democratic response” was needed against President Donald Trump’s “malignant effort to rig the midterm elections.
“Bill Ferguson authentically believes that the votes don’t exist in the State Senate to move forward,” Jeffries said. “The only way to find out is to allow an immediate up-or-down vote on the Senate floor with respect to the new congressional map passed by the House of Delegates.”
Ferguson’s opposition has remained steadfast since October, when he first announced his decision not to bring new maps to the Senate floor.
Since then, Gov. Wes Moore has embraced redistricting, and the Maryland House of Delegates followed suit, passing a map earlier this month that would likely erase the sole GOP seat in the state’s congressional delegation. But without Ferguson’s blessing, the current map, a compromise with Republicans approved in 2022, is expected to stand.
Jeffries also met with Moore, House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk, Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Scott Phillips, and other members of the Maryland House Democratic Caucus in his swing through Annapolis, according to a readout of the meetings.
“I thanked them all for their leadership and courage in advancing a more competitive congressional map for the great state of Maryland,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries has separately been involved in efforts to redistrict in Virginia, Illinois, and beyond — part of a tit for tat with Trump that could determine the balance of power in Washington next year. Republicans currently hold a one-seat majority in the …
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