Maryland Gov. Wes Moore calls special session to elect new House speaker

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has called for a special session next week to pick a replacement for outgoing House Speaker Adrienne Jones, but the Democrat-run General Assembly will not take up the hot-button issue of redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Mr. Moore, a Democrat, signed an executive order for the special session to begin Dec. 16 “following Adrienne A. Jones’s announcement last week that she would step down following six historic years in service to the speakership.”

Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk has been pegged as the front-runner after three potential competitors withdrew their names from consideration over the weekend and backed the Democrat, who represents parts of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. Ms. Jones, a Democrat representing Baltimore County, will remain in the General Assembly after stepping down as House speaker.

Bills that Mr. Moore has vetoed can also be revisited during the 30-day session, including proposals to address reparations.

The governor has also been angling to join the nationwide redistricting push as the race for the 2026 congressional midterm elections gets underway.

Mr. Moore wants to redraw congressional maps in the state to eliminate Maryland’s last Republican-held seat in the U.S. House.

The mid-cycle redistricting, which is typically carried out every 10 years after the census is completed, is being done to counter redistricting efforts in a handful of GOP-led states. President Trump has pushed to redraw maps ahead of schedule to strengthen the Republicans’ slim hold on the House.

But Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has been reluctant to engage in redistricting talks. He has expressed concern that legal challenges to a redistricting bill could wind up costing Maryland’s congressional Democrats a seat or two on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Ferguson, Baltimore Democrat, would likely prevent Mr. Moore’s redistricting proposal from reaching the floor for a vote.