Maryland's new congressional map might win the award for this cycle's most stunning cosmetic makeover. The past decade's mangled Democratic gerrymander, which featured a 3rd CD so wildly shaped a federal judge compared to a "broken-winged pterodactyl lying prostrate across the road," is gone. In its place is a beautiful, compact compromise plan. And yet, there's a strong chance it will produce the same 7D-1R delegation as the current one.
On Tuesday, GOP Gov. Larry Hogan signed into law a remedial plan hastily passed by the overwhelmingly Democratic General Assembly after lower state court judge Lynne Battaglia struck down Democrats' original plan as "a product of extreme gerrymandering."
Unlike Democrats' first plan, which put lone GOP Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01) in a Biden +1 seat for a possible 8D-0R sweep, this plan keeps Harris in a safe Eastern Shore seat and instead makes Democratic Rep. David Trone's western 6th CD more competitive. Some Republicans still contend the plan is still way too friendly to Democrats, but Hogan compromised and signed the map after Democrats agreed to drop their appeal of
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