Bill Ferguson
Maryland State Senate President; blocked the Democratic all-blue congressional redistricting map in 2026.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Will Bill Ferguson reverse course on Maryland redistricting after the Callais ruling changes the legal landscape?
Timeline for Bill Ferguson
Mentioned in: Virginia court kills Democrats' last 2026 track
US Midterms 2026Jeffries sends Morelle to Albany on retaliation
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Four states queue maps after Callais ruling
US Midterms 2026Allowed session to end without bringing the redistricting bill to a vote
US Midterms 2026: Maryland map dies as Senate session ends- Why did Maryland fail to gerrymander its congressional map in 2026?
- Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson blocked the map passed 99-37 by the House, citing constitutional concerns. The blocking came from within the Democratic Party.Source: Event: Maryland Senate blocks its map
- Why did Maryland fail to pass its Democratic redistricting map in 2026?
- Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson refused to schedule a floor vote, allowing the legislative session to expire and killing the plan. He argued the map replicated a configuration previously struck down as unconstitutional.Source: event
- Who is Bill Ferguson in Maryland politics?
- Bill Ferguson is the President of the Maryland State Senate, a Baltimore Democrat who blocked his own party's congressional redistricting map in early 2026 by declining to schedule a Senate vote.
- Could Maryland redistrict again before the 2026 midterms?
- Following the Callais ruling and Jeffries dispatching Morelle to coordinate a Democratic response in Albany, Maryland remains a potential redistricting candidate, but a repeat attempt would require Ferguson to change position.Source: event
- What is the current Maryland congressional map?
- Maryland is using its existing map after the all-Democratic alternative died in the Senate in February 2026. The existing map has a 7-1 Democratic advantage — one fewer seat than the proposed eight-way sweep.
Background
Bill Ferguson is the President of the Maryland State Senate and a Baltimore Democrat who blocked his own caucus's proposed all-eight-districts-Democratic congressional map in early 2026. The Maryland House of Delegates passed the map 99-37 on 2 February, but Ferguson refused to schedule a Senate floor vote, allowing the regular session to expire and killing the plan.
Ferguson's stated rationale was that the map replicated a configuration previously struck down as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander — a characterisation shared by Judicial Watch. The Maryland map's death meant Democrats could not use the state as an offset against Republican seat gains elsewhere. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries subsequently dispatched Ranking Member Joseph Morelle to Albany on 4 May 2026 to coordinate a broader Democratic redistricting response. Ferguson remains a central figure in whether Maryland revisits redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.