Coming Soon: The Great Gerrymander Of 2011

Who needs a 'non-partisan' commission on redistricting when Democrats already made up their mind to gerrymander Maryland?

EVEN BEFORE THE COMMISSION WAS ANNOUNCED; DEMOCRATS MADE THEIR GERRYMANDERING INTENTIONS CLEAR:

Maryland Democrat Party representative Matthew Verghese said “The party will win elections in every corner of our state at the conclusion of the congressional and legislative redistricting process.” (John Fritze, “GOP proposes drawing Harris out of district,” The Baltimore Sun, 7/5/11)

Asked if Harris' district would be a focus of the redistricting process, Hoyer said, "I think the answer to that is yes." (John Fritze, “In redistricting, Democrats look for electoral opportunities,” Baltimore Sun, 4/16/11).

"I think there's an opportunity there," said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Southern Maryland, the No.

 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives. (John Fritze, “In redistricting, Democrats look for electoral opportunities,” Baltimore Sun, 4/16/11).

Harris, the Baltimore County lawmaker who has represented Maryland's 1st Congressional District since January, is likely to be in for a fight. (John Fritze, “In redistricting, Democrats look for electoral opportunities,” Baltimore Sun, 4/16/11).

Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch predicts Frederick County will be "cobalt blue" after state redistricting lines are drawn in time for the 2014 election. (Meg Tully, “House speaker predicts Democratic gains,” Frederick News-Post, 5/13/11)

But registered Republicans out-number Democrats in Frederick County by 4%. (Maryland State Board of Elections, www.elections.state.md.us, Accessed 5/16/11)

And Frederick County is represented by seven Republican Delegates elected by county residents and only one Democrat. (Maryland State Board of Elections, www.elections.state.md.us, Accessed 5/16/11)

State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. let out recently that the 6th District, which has been served by 84-year-old Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett since 1993, could be in play. The other possibility is that the Democrats will target the District 1 seat captured by Rep. Andrew P. Harris in 2010. (Gazette Editorial, “State redistricting revisited, Democrats could do mischief to GOP,” The Gazette, 5/12/11)
The most likely target in the redistricting process is freshman Republican Rep. Andy Harris, who helped Republicans reclaim a conservative Eastern Shore district from one-term Rep. Frank Kratovil (D) in November. (Aaron Blake, “New lines in the Old Line State? Maryland Democrats could go after 7-to-1 edge,” The Washington Post, 3/22/11)

Democrats can be competitive in the 6th Congressional District given the right candidate, sufficient resources and more favorable boundaries that will be redrawn this summer and fall, party leaders and elected officials said Saturday at a gathering of Western Maryland Democrats. (Alan Brody, “Western Maryland Dems look to gain ground in reapportionment process,” The Gazette, 5/2/11)

MARYLAND’S LINES ARE ALREADY SOME OF THE MOST GERRYMANDERED IN THE NATION

Democratic state legislators in Maryland enacted one of the most effective gerrymanders in the country in 2001, successfully turning a four-to-four split in the state’s congressional delegation into a six-to-two Democratic advantage by 2002. (Aaron Blake, “New lines in the Old Line State? Maryland Democrats could go after 7-to-1 edge,” The Washington Post, 3/22/11)

Maryland Democrats have used redistricting to maximize their power in Congress. The map developed by Gov. Parris N. Glendenning after the 2000 Census helped increase the number of Maryland Democrats in the House from four to six in the 2002 elections. (John Fritze, “In redistricting, Democrats look for electoral opportunities,” Baltimore Sun, 4/16/11)