‘Natural boundaries’
If the amendment is ultimately approved, it would likely be part of a rapid reconfiguration of congressional district lines that began last year when Trump urged Republican-controlled states to adjust their maps to help the party in the 2026 midterm elections.
Normally, redistricting happens just once a decade after new Census data is released.
Eight states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas — have redrawn maps to help Republicans, who could pick up as many as 16 seats due to the redistricting. New maps in California and Utah could give Democrats an advantage in six races.
Maryland moved more slowly — and with an approach that will not change districts for this year’s elections — because Democratic state Senate President Bill Ferguson blocked an earlier initiative aimed at putting new maps in place for this year.
Republican House Minority Leader Jason Buckel condemned the amendment, calling it a troubling moment for the state legislature.
“When history judges the actions of the General Assembly in years to come, what has happened in Annapolis this week will be seen as a sad chapter in the institution’s history,” he said in a statement.
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