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June 21, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Could First District Turn Blue? Report Offers Possible Map

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After turning the state’s Sixth Congressional District blue following the 2010 Census, Maryland Democrats could set their sights on the state’s sole remaining Republican lawmaker, Rep. Andy Harris, during the congressional redistricting that will follow the 2020 Census.

A map drawn by one political analyst shows it would be relatively easy for Democratic state lawmakers to shut out Maryland Republicans from Congress by shifting the boundaries of the state’s eight congressional districts.

David Wasserman, writing in The Cook Political Report (subscription required), said the map would result in a 35-point leftward swing for the First District. The new district would have voted for Joe Biden by 15 points in 2020; current First District voters chose Donald Trump by 20 points in the 2020 presidential race.

Wasserman is House Editor for The Cook Political Report, where he is responsible for analyzing U.S. House races and is recognized as one of the nation’s top election forecasters. He also is a contributor to NBC News.

Maryland’s other seven congressional districts would remain overwhelmingly Democratic with his map, voting for Biden by at least 20 points, Wasserman wrote in his Maryland redistricting preview and on Twitter.

Wasserman developed his map using Dave’s Redistricting App, which allows users to explore congressional redistricting options.

One Democrat who has filed to challenge Harris in the First District noted Wasserman’s analysis, but suggested opposition to such a big change.

On her campaign website, Heather Mizeur, a former state delegate and gubernatorial candidate who lives in Kent County, wrote:

“We don’t want a gerrymandered district. We want a fair district. The right answer in how it gets drawn at the end of the day is somewhere in between these extreme shifts.

“What we know for sure is that the district will be redrawn, it will get more competitive, and we are and will continue to be the campaign best positioned to defeat Andy Harris when it happens.”

The Maryland map currently in use (below) was approved in 2011 using data from the 2010 Census. A legal challenge to that map ended in 2019 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the courts have no role in partisan gerrymandering claims.

Statewide_reduced

Partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts can have dramatic effects on the party control of the House.

In the Atlas of Redistricting, Wasserman and others writing at FiveThirtyEight looked at congressional districts based on several different factors.

Their analysis showed that if districts were gerrymandered to favor Democrats, the party would be expected to have 251 seats in the House compared to 184 for Republicans. If districts were gerrymandered to favor Republicans, the GOP would be expected to have 264 seats to 171 for Democrats.

The U.S. Census Bureau, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, announced in February that redistricting data would be released to all states by Sept. 30, six months later than its April 1 deadline.

The bureau will deliver apportionment counts (which determine how many representatives each state will have) to the president by April 30, four months later than normal. Maryland is expected to maintain its eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Maryland Faces ‘Extreme’ Threat of Gerrymandering, New Report Says

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Maryland is under “extreme” risk for gerrymandering when lawmakers draw up new election districts, according to a new report from an anti-corruption watchdog group.

The Gerrymandering Threat Index from the nonprofit group RepresentUs lists Maryland, alongside 26 other states, in the highest risk category for gerrymandering. States are listed under the group’s “extreme” risk category for giving “politicians complete control over an often-secretive, poorly-protected redistricting process.”

RepresentUs considered five questions when determining a state’s threat level for gerrymandering:

  • Can politicians control how election maps are drawn?
  • Can election maps be drawn in secret?
  • Can election maps be rigged for partisan gain?
  • Are the legal standards weak?
  • And, are rigged election maps hard to challenge in court?

The report cites Maryland’s Democratic supermajority as a flag for potential gerrymandering, since the state relies on the legislature to approve maps. Maryland’s governor initially crafts congressional and legislative maps that are presented to the General Assembly. Lawmakers can pass a resolution (not subject to veto) changing the legislative districts. The Maryland Constitution sets some requirements for legislative districts, including that they must be compact and give “due regard” to jurisdictional boundaries.

Congressional district maps aren’t subject to the same restrictions under the Maryland Constitution. The governor can veto the legislature’s proposed congressional district map —but lawmakers could override a veto from Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), as they’ve done on several key pieces of legislation during the 2021 session and throughout his tenure.

Hogan has repeatedly attempted to create a bipartisan redistricting process since he took office, but his efforts have failed to pass the General Assembly. In January, he signed an executive order creating a bipartisan commission to make recommendations for the congressional and legislative maps that he will submit to the legislature ahead of the 2022 election.

Attempts to challenge the state’s congressional districts in court have also failed, with the U.S. Supreme Court declaring in 2019 that federal judges shouldn’t be the ones to settle disputes on gerrymandering.

That high court ruling came after a panel of federal judges ordered the state’s 6th Congressional District redrawn, arguing that the district had been unconstitutionally drawn to benefit Democrats.

Rep. John P. Sarbanes’ (D-Md.) omnibus election reform proposal, the For the People Act, would include a congressional redistricting overhaul and ban partisan gerrymandering. The sweeping reforms would also require states to use bipartisan, independent commissions to draw district lines.

The RepresentUs report lists the For the People Act as a “remarkable opportunity” to end federal gerrymandering.

“Ultimately, a system-wide crisis calls for a system-wide solution,” the report reads.

In all, the Gerrymandering Threat Index lists 35 states as having a high or extreme risk for partisan gerrymandering in the next round of redistricting. Two of Maryland’s neighboring states, Delaware and West Virginia, are also listed as having an “extreme” risk for gerrymandering. Pennsylvania is given a “moderate” rating, and Virginia a “low” rating.

Virginia voters last November approved a nonpartisan redistricting process.

By Bennett Leckrone

Mizeur: Harris Stands with Violent Mob, Not Heroic Police Officers

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Heather Mizeur, Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland’s First District, today issued the following statement in response to Rep. Andy Harris’ (R-MD) vote on awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Departments:

“Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to award Congressional Gold Medals — one of our country’s highest civilian honors — to the Capitol Police and the DC police, in gratitude for their heroic work on January 6.

“The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, with 413 members voting to honor the officers who defended members of Congress and our Capitol building against insurrectionists on that terrible day.

“Andy Harris voted no.

“Maybe this shouldn’t surprise us since he refused to acknowledge the outcome of the presidential election and instead repeated the ‘Big Lie’ that incited the attack on our democracy.

“But by any measure, this is an extremist position that disgraces our district. Many of those Capitol Police officers are Marylanders. All of them are heroes.

“Harris is picking sides here, and he has chosen to stand with a violent mob of insurrectionists over those on the front lines who defended his own life that day.

“Like any true patriot who loves and will defend this country and its values, I watched the events of January 6 in horror. The anger I felt that day propelled me into this race. The anger I feel in this moment tells me it was the right decision.

“We need a change. Anger, when coupled with wise action, can fuel important transformations.

“I’m in this race to shift the culture and language of our political discourse and to give people an opportunity to vote for dignified representation that reflects the best of who we are.”

“I’ve long disagreed with Andy Harris’s priorities, but the last few months have taken that to a new level.

“While families and small businesses struggle to recover from the pandemic, he continues to prioritize this sort of extremist behavior, rather than putting Marylanders first.”

Van Hollen Endorses Mizeur in First District

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Heather Mizeur, Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland’s First District, today announced the endorsement of Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“I’m proud to have earned Senator Van Hollen’s endorsement,” Mizeur said in a statement. “During my time in the Maryland General Assembly, I worked closely with then-Congressman Van Hollen as we combined forces to serve our constituents — ensuring that the people who most needed their government to work for them didn’t fall through the cracks.

“Since then, I’ve watched proudly as Chris has championed in the U.S. Senate so many of the causes I care most about: stronger environmental protections, affordable health care, and an economy that works for everyone,” Mizeur said.

“Heather Mizeur is the bold, innovative leader we need in Congress for Maryland’s First District,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “Throughout her career, she has led the charge on policies that have made Maryland a fairer, stronger, more equitable state by building consensus and bringing people together.

“Heather successfully fought to move our state forward on issues like marriage equality, affordable health care for our children and families, and protecting our environment,” Van Hollen said. “She is a tenacious fighter for Maryland and can take on Andy Harris to flip the First. Heather is in this race to win, and I’m proud to stand by her.”

Senator Van Hollen’s endorsement is the first major show of support for any Democrat running to challenge Andy Harris, and comes on the heels of Mizeur’s announcement that she had raised nearly $250,000 in the opening weeks of her campaign. Van Hollen will headline a fundraiser for Mizeur on March 17.

Mizeur spent a decade working in the U.S. Congress, including four years as domestic policy director for U.S. Senator John Kerry. A former Takoma Park city councilmember and small business owner, she was elected to the General Assembly in 2006. Mizeur was known for her work to expand health care for children and families, reform the criminal incarceration system, advance civil rights protections, safeguard the environment, and bring new technology jobs to Maryland.

In 2014, Mizeur ran a spirited campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, building a statewide grassroots movement. In 2017, she founded Soul Force Politics, a non-profit organization working to bridge the divisions in American political and civic life. Heather and her wife, Deborah, live and work on their farm in Chestertown.

Enviro Congressional Scorecard: Good Grades for Dems, a Zero for Rep. Harris

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The League of Conservation Voters released its annual congressional scorecard Thursday, and the Maryland delegation lined up about as expected:

Six House Democrats — Reps. Steny H. Hoyer, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie B. Raskin, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes and David J. Trone — received perfect 100% scores. Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D) got 95% on the scorecard, and the state’s two senators, Benjamin L. Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, scored 92% grades.

Rep. Andy Harris

The lone Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, Rep. Andrew P. Harris, got a zero.

Harris’ lifetime score from LCV is 3%, while the Democrats’ range from 82% (Hoyer) to 99% (Raskin).

“President Biden has wasted no time putting climate at the top of his agenda to protect our future,” Maryland LCV’s executive director, Kim Coble, said in a statement. “Thankfully we have representatives who have stood up for Maryland’s values and put our future first. But Representative Andy Harris continues to side with corporate polluters over Maryland’s health and environment.”

According to LCV, the scores were tabulated using 21 House votes that advanced pro-environmental and pro-democracy bills, provisions, and government funding. In the Senate, for the fourth year in a row, the majority of the 13 scored votes were based on nominations both to the federal bench and the Trump administration.

The scorecard also includes votes on removing public monuments to racism and policing and criminal justice reform. LCV leaders say racism and environmental justice issues are increasingly intertwined.

Nationally, the U.S. Senate, which was under Republican control in 2020, had a 46% score from LCV. The House, which was in Democratic hands, scored 59% collectively.

“In an incredibly difficult and unprecedented year and with the most anti-environmental president ever, pro-environment members of the 116th Congress paved the way for transformational action on climate and environmental justice,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld.

By Josh Kurtz

Census Data Delay Likely Means No Redistricting Session This Fall in Md.

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The U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to delay releasing population data until fall almost certainly guarantees that Maryland lawmakers won’t redraw the state’s political boundaries before next year, political analysts said on Tuesday.

The bureau originally planned to get results of the 2020 Census to states by March 31. But officials announced on Friday that they will provide it by Sept. 30 instead.

They blamed the delay on the COVID-19 crisis, which made surveying every household in the country, a labor-intensive process that involves millions of face-to-face interactions, more difficult.

Maryland and other states will use the data — once they get it — to craft congressional and legislative boundaries that will be used for the next five election cycles, beginning with U.S. House and General Assembly contests in 2022.

The delay in receiving population data makes it highly unlikely the legislature will meet in special session this fall, according to three people knowledgeable about the process.

Instead, lawmakers will have to tackle congressional and legislative redistricting when they convene in January for the 2021 session.

There is no way to replicate the more generous timeline that lawmakers had in 2011, said Patrick H. Murray, a former chief of staff for the late Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., now the top aide to Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D).

For that redistricting, then Gov. Martin J. O’Malley (D) announced a redistricting committee in the summer, the committee drafted a congressional map in early October and the legislature convened a special session to consider it later that month, Murray recalled.

Given advances in computer software since the 2011 redistricting, lawmakers and their staffs won’t necessarily need a lot of time to draw new lines, said Daniel M. Clements, a retired lawyer and longtime Democratic activist who has been involved in past redistricting efforts.

But pitched battles that often occur internally — among incumbent members of Congress and the General Assembly over various precincts — can take time to resolve.

The 2022 primary election is set for June 28. And the deadline for candidates to file is Feb. 22.

Assuming it does not get pushed back, legislators will have less than six weeks to conclude a process that is fraught with political intrigue and where emotions can run hot.

“You will have that piece, but the shorter time means they just have to resolve it quicker,” Clements said.

In January, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) created a nine-person redistricting commission to study Maryland’s population changes, take public input and draw a set of boundaries that he can submit to the legislature.

The panel will have three Democrats, three Republicans and three voters who aren’t registered with any political party.

Cato Institute senior fellow Walter Olson, a Republican; retired federal judge Alex Williams, a Democrat; and Howard Community College President Kathleen Hetherington, an independent, will serve as co-chairs.

The other six slots will be filled by a group of applicants who put their names forward prior to the Feb. 12 deadline.

Olson would not disclose the number of people that applied, but he described them as “an impressive and diverse group of applicants.”

The governor’s commission will hold statewide hearings once it is empaneled.

Olson said the delay in Census data compresses the amount of time the panel will have to do their work.

“Our work has to be done later and with somewhat more time pressure than would have been predicted,” he said. “We have our assignment, which is to propose maps for U.S. House [districts] and for the General Assembly. Whether a special session occurs or not is not part of our to-do list.”

Speaking on WBAL Radio, Hogan again slammed Democratic leaders in the General Assembly for how they have drawn lines in the past and for rebuffing his efforts to take line-drawing out of the hands of legislators.

He pledged to submit the commission’s maps as his own, “without any influence or tampering.”

“I have the power as governor to draw districts,” he added. After that, he conceded, “it’s a battle between the executive branch and the legislative branch.”

By Bruce DePuyt

Mizeur Reports Fast Fundraising Start in Her Bid for Congress

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Heather Mizeur, the former state delegate and gubernatorial contender who recently announced that she’s seeking the 1st District congressional seat in 2022, said Tuesday that she’s raised $225,000 in the first two weeks of her campaign.

Mizeur, who has been fairly quiet on the political front since her 2014 bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, joined the race against U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-Md.) on Jan. 28, citing the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Harris’ votes against certifying President Biden’s election and against impeaching former President Trump.

“So far in 2021, Andy Harris has disputed the results of a free and fair presidential election, refused (to disastrous ends) to certify those election results, voted against holding Donald Trump accountable for the deadly attack on our U.S. Capitol and was caught trying to carry a gun onto the House floor,” Mizeur said in a statement Tuesday. “Something deep within me was awakened by this.”

Mizeur said she has received about 1,400 campaign contributions since her announcement, averaging $158. The first fundraising quarter of the 2022 election cycle ends on March 31, and candidates’ campaign finance statements are due with the Federal Election Commission on April 15.

Harris, who will be seeking his seventh term, reported $1,043,179 in his campaign account as of Dec. 31.

The 1st District, which takes in the Eastern Shore and portions of Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties, has a very conservative electorate. But Mizeur, if she becomes the Democratic nominee, would be the highest profile general election challenger that Harris has had since he won the seat in 2010.

Mia Mason, the 2020 Democratic nominee, also plans to try again, and other Democrats may be eyeing the race. Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has said he’s considering challenging Harris in the Republican primary.

By Josh Kurtz

Heather Mizeur to Challenge Congressman Harris

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Heather Mizeur, the former state delegate who ran a surprisingly strong bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2014, announced Thursday morning that she plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, in 2022.

In a four-minute video announcement, Mizeur said she felt compelled to run following the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“The events of Jan. 6 have forever changed us, Mizeur said in the video. “Witnessing a treasonous insurrection against the citadel of our democracy, with the express encouragement of those bound by a Constitutional oath to protect it, is an unforgivable betrayal.”

Mizeur went on to condemn Harris’ actions that night ― when witnesses say he almost got into a fistfight with a Democratic colleague ― and more recently, when he attempted to bring a gun onto the U.S. House floor. Capitol police say they are investigating that incident.

“These behaviors have stirred within me a conviction that we must present an alternative choice,” Mizeur said. “We deserve representation that reflects the very best qualities of who we are and where we are from. That is why, today, I am launching my campaign for Congress.”

Following a stint on the Takoma Park City Council, Mizeur spent eight years in the House of Delegates, launching a longshot, grass-roots campaign for governor that became a sensation in many progressive circles. Despite being heavily outraised by her two better-known opponents, who already held statewide office, Mizeur finished a surprisingly strong third in the 2014 Democratic primary.

Mizeur then largely faded from public view, moving with her wife Deborah to a farm in Chestertown and eventually launching a nonprofit called Soul Force Politics, a political training organization that seeks to bridge the divide in political and civic life.

Prior to her own career in politics, Mizeur worked on Capitol Hill, as a policy adviser on health care to then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).

In her announcement video, Mizeur said her experience “has prepared me for this unique moment in history.”

Challenging Harris could be quite the undertaking, however. The 1st District, which covers the Eastern Shore plus portions of Harford, Baltimore and Carroll counties, is mostly conservative territory, and Harris, who is seeking his seventh term, has never had to sweat reelection.

But the district lines could change before the 2022 election ― and Harris could potentially face a tough Republican primary challenge next year, possibly from Harford County Executive Barry Glassman or state Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr.

In her announcement, Mizeur did not offer specific policy prescriptions, but promised to deliver “dignified, heart-centered collaborative leadership” along with “smart and innovative policy thinking.”

“I ask one thing of all the people who join me in this journey ― that you bring your best self to this race,” she said. “We are not running against someone. We are running for our dedication to a better tomorrow.”

By Josh Kurtz

U.S. Capitol Police Investigating Handgun Incident Involving Rep. Harris

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The United States Capitol Police have opened an investigation into an incident involving Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-Md.), following reports he entered the U.S. Capitol with a firearm.

HuffPost reported that Harris set off newly installed metal detectors outside the House chamber on Thursday and was stopped by Capitol Police. 

One officer motioned to another to indicate that the First District lawmaker had a weapon hidden inside his suit coat, the site reported. 

A journalist who witnessed the encounter reported that Harris tried to offload the weapon to a nearby colleague, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), but Katko refused to take it, telling Harris he didn’t have “a license.” 

HuffPost also heard Harris complain to some fellow members that he had asked his staff to remind him about the screenings and they hadn’t.

Harris then left on the elevators and 10 minutes later returned to the House chamber, the site reported. He placed his cellphone and keys on a desk to the side, did not set off the magnetometer and was allowed to enter the House floor.

In an email on Thursday night, U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki told Maryland Matters, “The USCP is investigating the matter.”

NBC News reported on Thursday that a “Capitol official” who was present “saw a firearm on the person of Rep. Harris and relayed that to his superiors.”

“To be clear, Rep. Harris did not enter the Floor,” the official said. 

The metal detectors outside the chamber were ordered put in place by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) after the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. They have become a flashpoint among some Republican members, and they have at times created tension with police.

Harris’ communications team frequently does not respond to requests for comment from reporters and they did not respond to an email from Maryland Matters on Thursday night. But they did release a statement to Fox 45 News in Baltimore, which said:

“Because his and his family’s lives have been threatened by someone who has been released awaiting trial, for security reasons, the Congressman never confirms whether he nor anyone else he’s with are carrying a firearm for self-defense. As a matter of public record, he has a Maryland Handgun Permit. And the congressman always complies with the House metal detectors and wanding. The Congressman has never carried a firearm on the House floor.” 

Despite the District of Columbia’s strict gun laws, members of Congress are allowed to carry unloaded weapons in congressional office buildings and on the Capitol grounds, but not in the chamber. 

Several GOP members have boasted of carrying weapons wherever they go, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers for metal detectors to be installed outside the chamber. 

Pelosi is reportedly considering fines for members who bypass security checkpoints inside the Capitol. 

HuffPost reported on Thursday that Harris “has repeatedly flouted the magnetometers that were installed near the House chamber after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.” 

The incident involving the six-term lawmaker came two weeks after thousands of supporters of former President Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

The siege forced members of the Senate and House and Vice President Mike Pence to flee into secure locations. Five people died in the uprising, including a Capitol police officer. 

The attempted coup led to the second impeachment of Trump and an unprecedented increase in security around the building. 

Harris is a loyal supporter of President Trump who has spoken frequently about his fear that the government will try to strip citizens of their guns. He is the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation and has received campaign contributions from the NRA.

Harris was one of nearly 150 GOP lawmakers to vote to block Biden’s win, even after the attempted insurrection. When lawmakers returned to the House chamber to resume their work in the overnight hours of Jan. 7, Harris got into a scuffle on the House floor with Rep. Colin Alred (D-Texas). 

Harris’s baseless claims that Biden’s win was marred by fraud has been condemned by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and led to numerous calls for his resignation. 

By Bruce DePuyt

Harris: ‘I’m Re-upping For This Fight,’ WBAL News Radio Reports

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Speaking this weekend with Andrew Langer on WBAL News Radio 1090 AM/101.5 FM, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, said President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment was “the wrong way to go.”

WBAL also reported that Harris — who pledged to only serve for six terms in Congress and who introduced a term-limits resolution in 2013 — said he will run for a seventh term representing Maryland’s First Congressional District in Congress.

Harris compared it to someone in the military deciding to extend their service.

“… (A)t this point in time, I’m re-upping for this fight,” Harris said.