The leader of the Maryland Senate yet again poured cold water on Democrats' redistricting plans Friday amid continued pressure from members of the party in the state and nationally.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., met with Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson in Annapolis on Wednesday and urged him in a statement to hold a vote on a redrawn congressional map the state House passed earlier this month.
But Ferguson, who has opposed the redistricting effort for months and has said there isn't enough support for it in the state Senate, said Friday that his position hadn't changed.
“For the umpteenth time, in the Senate we generally do not bring things to the floor that do not have the votes to pass,” he said at a news conference.
Ferguson noted that the candidate filing deadline in Maryland is Feb. 24, ahead of the state’s June 23 primaries. State House Democrats have proposed moving the filing deadline to make a new map possible.
"So, the issue is the window for opportunity is closed for ‘26,” he added.
Despite Ferguson's stance, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Democrats in the state House moved ahead with a new map proposal that would make the state's lone Republican-held district more favorable for their party. The effort came amid the broader mid-decade redistricting push taking place across the country ahead of the midterm elections, when control of the narrowly divided House is up for grabs.
Jeffries also met with Moore and leaders of the Maryland House on Wednesday.
“Bill Ferguson authentically believes that the votes don’t exist in the State Senate to move forward. The only way to find out is to allow an immediate up-or-down vote on the Senate floor,” Jeffries said in a statement after the meetings.
Moore made a similar argument during a Politico summit Thursday.
“If Bill Ferguson says, well, the votes aren’t there in the Senate, my only point is this: OK, well, you know, the best way to prove that’s true? Do a vote,” Moore said.
Ferguson has said he believes any action on redistricting would open Maryland’s existing congressional map up to litigation that could work against the Democrats.
