Maryland House lawmakers voted Monday to advance a new congressional map backed by Democrats, a move that has drawn resistance from state Senate leaders who warn it could carry political and legal risks.

The proposal, approved by the Democratic-controlled House, is designed to reshape Maryland’s lone Republican-held congressional district and could alter the balance of the state’s U.S. House delegation.

Democrats currently hold seven of Maryland’s eight seats in Congress. Under the new map, party leaders believe they would be better positioned to unseat Republican Rep. Andy Harris and potentially claim all eight districts.

House leaders moved forward with the plan at the urging of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who has pointed to mid-decade redistricting efforts in other states as justification for revisiting Maryland’s boundaries outside the usual census cycle.

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The push comes as President Donald Trump last year encouraged Republican-led states, including Texas, to redraw congressional maps in hopes of shoring up the GOP’s narrow House majority.

Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat sponsoring the bill, said the changes are necessary "to help ensure that this administration finally has a Congress that puts his power in check."

Republicans opposed to the map focused on how Harris’ district, which largely covers Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, would be reconfigured to reach across the Chesapeake Bay and take in more Democratic-leaning voters.

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"It is about nothing except party politics," said Del. Jason Buckel, the House minority leader.

Democratic Del. Marc Korman countered that similar geographic configurations have existed before, noting that the district crossed the bay multiple times beginning in the 1960s and that Republican candidates — including Harris — prevailed during those periods.

Despite House approval, Senate President Bill Ferguson has repeatedly cautioned that targeting Harris’ seat could place Democratic-held districts at risk and invite renewed court challenges.

Ferguson has pointed to a 2021 congressional map that was struck down by a judge as an example of how aggressive redistricting can backfire. Maryland ultimately adopted revised boundaries in 2022 after litigation was dropped.

The Senate president has also warned that reopening the process could disrupt Maryland’s election timeline, with a Feb. 24 filing deadline and a June 23 primary approaching, and could leave final district lines in the hands of the courts.

Maryland’s debate mirrors broader redistricting battles playing out nationwide, as both parties attempt to gain advantage ahead of the next election cycle. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he plans to call a special legislative session on redistricting in April.

A new year typically brings growth and opportunities. But not in Virginia.

Since last November, the winds in the commonwealth have carried a heavy weight. Elections have consequences, and just a few days into Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s reign, Virginians are reaping the fruit of their ballot-box decisions. This is no longer a warning.

Now that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s watch has ended, that progress is under attack. In just weeks, a newly emboldened Democrat majority has moved to drain the budget surplus by expanding costly social programs while imposing unnecessary tax hikes on middle- and lower-class Virginians. Virginians are experiencing a swift, calculated wave of anti-business, anti-family and un-American policies that will irreparably decimate everything that makes Virginia great.

We Virginians were spoiled under Youngkin’s administration. Over the past four years, Youngkin's watchful eye prevented the Democrat majority in the Virginia legislature from leading the commonwealth down a destructive path.

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Thanks to his leadership, Virginia is stronger than ever. Our state is experiencing record revenues, record tax relief, and record investment. Virginia’s general revenue has grown by 5.2% in the past year, with $9 billion in tax relief, $156 billion in capital investments, and a $2.7 billion budget surplus. Youngkin left Virginia better than he found it, bringing our state to new heights. But the higher you climb, the harder you fall.

Now that Youngkin’s watch has ended, that progress is under attack. In just weeks, a newly emboldened Democrat majority has moved to drain the budget surplus by expanding costly social programs while imposing unnecessary tax hikes on middle- and lower-class Virginians.

These policies will only make life less affordable while creating new barriers to entry for businesses, forcing Virginians to absorb the rising cost of living or leave the commonwealth behind.

Democrats are advancing a sweeping tax agenda that will make everyday life more expensive for working Virginians. For Virginia Democrats, "affordability" means imposing new taxes on dog grooming, counseling, vehicle and home repairs, dry cleaning, hosting events and even owning electric leaf blowers and landscaping equipment. Their proposals would also authorize new local sales taxes and impose a delivery tax on services like Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx and UPS, raising costs for families while offering nothing but a larger, more intrusive government.

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While families are working day and night to make ends meet, Virginia Democrats are rewarding themselves. Their budget proposal includes an average 209% pay raise for state legislators, insulating politicians from economic reality as they repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law and mandate a $15 minimum wage. Together, these policies will drive up labor costs, eliminate jobs and leave workers with fewer opportunities.

At the same time, Democrats are pursuing an aggressive assault on Virginians’ Second Amendment rights. Their bills would impose an unprecedented tax on firearms and ammunition, layer on burdensome storage mandates and enact sweeping bans on both open and concealed carry in wide swaths of the commonwealth. These policies will not deter criminals. They will make it harder for law-abiding Virginians to protect themselves and their families.

Their transgressions do not stop there. Virginia Democrats are actively working to rewrite Virginia’s constitution.

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Both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, despite Republicans' vociferous opposition, voted to approve constitutional amendments that allow abortion on demand up to birth and gerrymander Virginia’s congressional districts to cheat their way to Democrat dominance for years to come. Despite recent defeats in lower courts, Democrats vow to continue disregarding procedural restraints in their pursuit of power at the expense of Virginia’s values.

Nationwide, we’ve witnessed an exodus from California and New York City caused by radical left-wing policies, the same model that Spanberger seeks to emulate. She looks to California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani for inspiration but refuses to accept the repercussions of their policies, because she will never have to experience them.

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 It is the people of our great commonwealth who will carry that burden.

Spanberger and Virginia Democrats do not seek to implement commonsense policies that improve Virginians' lives. As we have already seen in California and New York, their agenda will increase costs, undermine job growth, force families to relocate, dissuade businesses and protect criminals.

Through constitutional amendments, they will consolidate political control until the Californication of Virginia is complete.

The choices being made today will shape Virginia’s economy, freedoms and competitiveness for decades to come. The consequences are not theoretical; they are real, unfolding now, and will be felt by families, workers, and businesses across the commonwealth.