Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower chamber of Maryland's General Assembly, comprising 141 elected members. In February 2026 it passed an all-eight-seats-Democratic congressional gerrymander 99-37, the most aggressively partisan map Maryland Democrats had attempted since a version struck down as unconstitutional. Senate President Bill Ferguson subsequently refused to hold a Senate vote, blocking the map from advancing.

Maryland has 8 congressional seats and has historically maintained 7-1 Democratic dominance. The proposed map would consolidate all 8 seats as SAFE Democratic districts, leaving no competitive Republican seat. Judicial Watch characterised the plan as replicating a gerrymander previously struck down as unconstitutional in federal court, raising the prospect that the map would face immediate legal challenge if it passed.

The Senate block reflects intra-Democratic tension between delegates who want to maximise partisan gain and senators concerned about both constitutional vulnerability and the optics of a naked power play. The standoff left Maryland in 2026 operating under the existing 7-1 map, though further negotiations were expected before the filing deadline.