The state of Maryland will delay its primary election for governor by three weeks due to ongoing legal challenges over a newly redrawn legislative map.
The order, issued by the Court of Appeals of Maryland on Tuesday, delays the primary election from its initial date of June 28 to July 19. The court also extended the deadline to file for candidacy, giving prospective candidates until April 15 to submit a petition.
The court previously extended the candidacy filing deadline by 5 1/2 weeks in early February due to legal objections over the state’s new congressional map.
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The redrawn map faces legal challenges from Maryland Republicans who argue that Democrats illegally gerrymandered the boundaries to maximize partisan gain in the 2022 elections. The Maryland General Assembly passed the map on a party-line vote in December, with only one Democrat joining Republicans to vote against it and the General Assembly overriding Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto.
The state is defending itself against two lawsuits alleging that the congressional redistricting plan violates the Maryland Constitution. The outcome is likely to set a precedent for future disputes over map-drawing, with deep-blue Maryland being prone to drawing district lines that favor Democrats.
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The map in question would create seven safe Democratic districts and only one competitive seat. Republicans argued that the lines violate the state constitution’s freedoms for free elections and free speech and aim to oust the only sitting Republican, Rep. Andy Harris.
The two cases, Szeliga v. Lamone and Parrott v. Lamone, are being argued together this week and are likely to be appealed before the appeals court regardless of the outcome.
