By Meagan Flynn
As a tight battle nears for control of the U.S. House, Maryland has passed a significantly changed congressional map that changes the outlook for its midterm races — and moves thousands of voters into new, more compact districts that no longer “look like prehistoric animals,” as one anti-gerrymandering group put it.
After a legal fight stymied a previous Democratic map, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) approved this redrawn version, which keeps one safe Republican seat and seven Democrat-held districts. But one of those seven now promises to be much more competitive, leaving some Democrats worried.
What’s more, the new map draws some of Democratic incumbents’ favorite institutions, and even some of their homes, out of their districts, marking a major shift from how congressional maps in Maryland have traditionally been drawn.
“This was a map that was absolutely geared toward maximizing Democratic voters, but not so much toward caring about the incumbents,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “They’re going to find themselves in a situation where they’re going to have to introduce themselves to a whole new group of voters.” Read more at the Washington Post.
Photo: Screenshot of Maryland’s 5th District (Washington Post)
