Texas Redistricting Sparks Debate as Democrats Face Their Own Gerrymandering History

Texas Redistricting Sparks Debate as Democrats Face Their Own Gerrymandering History

Democrats across the nation have rallied behind Texas lawmakers who left the state to prevent a GOP-led redistricting initiative. This action starkly contrasts the party’s approach a decade ago when Maryland Democrats encountered minimal backlash for a plan aimed at eliminating nearly all Republican congressional seats.

Following the 2010 census, which resulted in Maryland losing a congressional seat, the state legislature had the responsibility of redrawing boundaries for the remaining eight districts. During this process, then-Governor Martin O’Malley testified about his enthusiasm for sidelining the Republicans.

Maryland’s Political Landscape

Although Maryland leans heavily Democratic, it also hosts conservative areas strategically located at its borders—primarily in the Western Panhandle and Eastern Shore. Furthermore, some Republican-majority communities can be found scattered throughout the more populous regions in the state.

One of the newly created congressional districts—the 3rd District—was represented by then-Representative John Sarbanes. A Fourth Circuit federal judge notably described this district as resembling a “broken-winged pterodactyl, lying prostrate across Maryland.”

A Uniquely Drawn District

The 3rd District was meticulously shaped to connect affluent suburban areas while avoiding inner-city Baltimore and the military base at Fort George Meade. This peculiar design meant that a person would struggle to drive through the entire district distance.

The district commenced near I-795 northwest of Baltimore, then curved eastward to create a narrow line along the city’s northern border. It later expanded to include some northeastern suburbs, only to retract southward before broadening once more to embrace Inner Harbor as well as the suburbs of Halethorpe and Arbutus.

At one juncture near US-1 in Elkridge, residents could walk for a few minutes and enter three distinct congressional districts, inclusive of the 3rd District, as it ran through Ducketts Lane.

This “pterodactyl” later swung southwest, forming its “body” north of Washington, D.C., before looping into a different segment of Howard County than it had just traversed. Subsequently, it shifted southward again, tracing the sporadic coastline of the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Between Elkridge and Glen Burnie—a mere few miles apart—lay a tendril of another congressional district, the 2nd District, which is predominantly centered east of Baltimore.

Notably, as the 3rd District crossed several peninsulas and islands between Gibson Island and Annapolis, it made it impossible for residents to traverse its full length without crossing water. This configuration narrowly separated waterways from another district anchored closer to Washington, D.C.

Controversy Over Gerrymandering

The infamous 3rd District garnered national attention but faced staunch defense from Maryland Democrats, who had designed it to effectively eliminate any potential Republican congressional presence. Furthermore, Maryland Democrats had previously altered the boundaries of suburban Washington D.C. districts in 2002 to unseat the last Beltway-area Republican congresswoman, Connie Morella, a strategy that culminated in the election of Democrat Jamie Raskin.

The redistricting process in 2010 aimed to oust the rest of the GOP delegation, ultimately achieving partial success. The plan targeted Roscoe Bartlett, a conservative Republican congressman, whose district was manipulated to include largely liberal suburbs along I-270.

After being defeated by Democrat John Delaney in the subsequent election, the now-99-year-old Bartlett retreated to West Virginia to live off the grid.

Currently, Rep. Andy Harris remains the final congressional Republican from Maryland but often feels overlooked in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. A report from The Atlantic highlighted that Maryland Democrats mapped out a “7-1” strategy following the 2010 census, which aimed to oust Bartlett while exploring the feasibility of an “8-0” map that would have also eliminated Harris.

The Risks of Redistricting

Despite the ambition to create safe Democratic districts, the analysis revealed concerns about stretching these districts too thin at the risk of producing even more convoluted borders across the Chesapeake Bay.

After the recent redistricting process, which significantly altered the intricate “pterodactyl” design and other distorted districts, Harris noted his 1st District had begun to feel more competitive again.

He expressed concern by stating that if the Democrats cannot defeat him at the ballot box, they will resort to manipulating district lines to diminish his chances of re-election.

A Historical Perspective

In a 2017 deposition during a lawsuit regarding Maryland’s map, O’Malley candidly acknowledged his desire to oust Bartlett. He collaborated with Maryland’s Democratic legislature to develop a partisan redistricting strategy.

His goals were clear; he aimed to create a district where people were more inclined to elect a Democrat over a Republican. At that time, Bartlett also expressed his willingness to collaborate with O’Malley in crafting a fairer map that would also avoid racial gerrymandering around Washington, D.C.

The Fallout from Gerrymandering

The Washington Post frequently criticized the gerrymandered map, with one of its editorials characterizing the Democrats’ efforts as overly aggressive and convoluted, making it difficult to decipher electoral boundaries. In the years following his governorship and during his tenure at the Democratic National Committee, O’Malley has since advocated for the end of gerrymandering, acknowledging he once played an active role in using redistricting to ensure Democratic advantages.

Ironically, O’Malley has recognized the wrongness of his previous actions, stating that a state-by-state effort is necessary to eliminate the practice of gerrymandering.