House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a day trip to meet with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state Democrats on Wednesday to continue the push for mid-decade redistricting.
The state House recently approved a bill, mostly along party lines, to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts. But it faces an uncertain future, as Senate President Bill Ferguson and the upper chamber’s Democratic majority oppose redistricting.
Following the meeting, Mr. Ferguson said he wants Mr. Jeffries “in the majority” with members in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus who do not support mid-cycle redistricting.
Mr. Jeffries’ visit amps up the pressure for Mr. Ferguson to put the proposed congressional map up for a vote. The Senate Rules Committee is expected to take up the bill, but as it is packed with the Senate president’s top leaders, it may not make it to the floor.
Mr. Ferguson has argued that jumping into the national tit-for-tat redistricting could backfire on Democrats — in the courts and by losing Democrats in Congress.
But the state Senate leader reportedly told Mr. Jeffries that he would speak with his members about holding a vote on the House-passed bill.
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State Democrats’ aggressive push to gerrymander Maryland’s map comes in response to President Trump’s call for GOP-led states to redistrict. House Republicans are campaigning to expand their thin majority ahead of the November midterm elections, but Democrats are trying to combat this effort and take over the lower chamber.
Mr. Moore thanked Mr. Jeffries for taking the trip to Annapolis to “stand with us during this critical moment in our democracy.”
Thank you to Leader @RepJeffries for coming to Annapolis today to stand with us during this critical moment in our democracy. pic.twitter.com/qPNwtOTeqT
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) February 18, 2026
The minority leader also reportedly has met with Maryland House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk.
The new map presents Democrats with a chance to claim Maryland’s sole Republican seat, held by Rep. Andy Harris, who has threatened legal action to stop the gerrymandered map from taking effect.
If Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Moore’s convictions resonate with Senate Democrats enough to pass the bill, it would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment on whether new boundaries would be used until the 2030 decennial U.S. census reapportionment.
In response to Mr. Jeffries’ meeting, the Maryland Freedom Caucus insisted that congressional Democrats are “bullying state senators to disenfranchise Maryland voters.”
“Marylanders expect their elected officials to focus on affordability, opportunity and accountability, not outside political interference in state legislative matters,” the Republican coalition said in a statement.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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