Montgomery County lawmakers are dismissing Maryland’s proposed congressional map, saying that new boundaries bolstering the Democratic Party’s stranglehold of the state would come at the expense of minority voters in the suburb.
Under a proposal released this week from the state’s heavily Democratic redistricting panel, Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards’ 4th District would remain concentrated in Prince George’s County but would shed minority pockets of Montgomery County. In the process, Rep. John Sarbanes’ District 3 would shift to include both portions of Baltimore and suburban Washington.
Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring, said the blueprint “looked like gerrymandering” and that “African American voters were taken for granted once again.”
“They took Donna Edwards — the only female black member of Congress in the state of Maryland — and took her away from her most loyal supporters,” said Ervin, an unabashed supporter of Edwards. “A lot of people think black voters’ strength has been diluted across the state to pick up an extra Democratic seat.”
Councilman Craig Rice, D-Germantown, also blasted the proposal.
“There is a real concern about a weakening of power in the minority community,” he said. “They try to make it better for their candidates — I understand that. But they have a responsibility to make sure voters have proper representation. This is not the case [with the plan].”
Democrats hold six of the state’s eight congressional districts and could pick up a seventh if the new lines are approved. Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett’s 6th District would lose its eastern border and add portions of western Montgomery County, making the seat competitive for Democrats.
Montgomery’s Hispanic lawmakers aren’t thrilled with the proposal, either.
State Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, noting that Montgomery is now primarily made up of Hispanic residents, pushed state officials to “no longer fragment and split up Hispanic communities.”
Populations have grown in nearly every Maryland jurisdiction, with Montgomery and Prince George’s counties gaining the most residents over the past decade. In comparison, Baltimore lost roughly 30,000 residents over the last 10 years.
Gov. Martin O’Malley will introduce the redistricting plan during a special session beginning Oct. 17.
However, Republicans are already criticizing the proposal as a political ploy.
Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney labeled the map “an insult to the people of Maryland” and said it “features not one or two but eight districts that look patently ridiculous.”
