BALTIMORE — Congressman Andy Harris, the lone Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, said Wednesday that he wants Maryland Democrats to jump into the growing national fight over redistricting, fostering a hunch that Democrats would lose in the courts.

“I want Republican colleagues,” Harris, who represents Maryland’s first congressional district, said to the press after a Tilghman Island news conference.

Maryland has eight congressional districts, seven of which are currently represented by Democrats.

Democrats say President Donald Trump is trying to gerrymander Texas in an attempt to win more Republican seats in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans say blue states have already been gerrymandered and point to New York’s efforts in 2024.

As reported by The Associated Press, Democratic state lawmakers in Texas have staged a walkout to prevent the legislature from voting on redrawn U.S. House maps. Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, asked the state’s highest court to remove the Democratic House leader from office in an attempt to end the holdout on voting.

In response to Trump’s efforts, the national party has called on Democrats across state legislatures to pursue redistricting outside of the normal, once-in-a-decade redistricting process.

“It’s my sincere hope that we don’t have to pursue this strategy, but at this point, nothing can be off the table,” Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, said in a statement posted to X Tuesday. “This (is) a dangerous road for democracy, and what’s happening in Texas right now is peak dysfunction. Democracy deserves better.”

The Maryland General Assembly met during a special session in late 2021 to redraw Maryland’s districts. The redrawn map was challenged in court and was overturned. Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, signed a revised redistricting plan during the 2022 legislative session.

Maryland Democrats aren’t opposed to redrawing the maps early.

House Majority Leader David Moon, a representative of Montgomery County, is leading the charge, drafting legislation for the 2026 session that would automatically begin the congressional redistricting process if Texas or any other state approves new districts.

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said the governor is considering “all options” in decisions regarding redistricting.

For his part, Harris thinks that redrawing the maps would benefit Republicans.

“There’s a part of me that wants them to try it, because the last time they tried it, as you know, they lost in the courts,” Harris said Wednesday. “The courts could actually make them draw a map that elects three Republicans, and if they want to take that chance to eliminate one Republican with the chance of maybe coming up with a map that would elect three Republicans, let them have at it.”

“If the Democrats want to roll the dice, let them roll the dice,” Harris added. “I look forward to having more Republican colleagues from the state in Congress, and I think that’s what the result is going to be.”

_____

©2025 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.