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May 17, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

News Maryland News

Report: Analysts Say New Map May Not be Enough to Flip First District as Three Democrats Seek Nomination Against Harris

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From The Washington Post comes this analysis of the First District congressional race following the approval of new congressional districts for the state:

“Flipping the 1st District to blue in 2022 became an urgent priority of Maryland Democrats,” Meagan Flynn writes in the Post.

Democratic leaders were outraged by Harris objecting to certifying the 2020 presidential election results following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as well as his vote against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the police agencies that responded to that attack.

Two Democratic challengers, Heather Mizeur and Dave Harden, cited his “actions in the aftermath of the insurrection” as factors in their decisions to run. Jennifer Pingley, the third Democrat in the race, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the second time.

The Maryland General Assembly recently approved “a new congressional map that will put the conservative Eastern Shore-anchored 1st District in play for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections,” Flynn writes. However, she notes that Harris is still considered the favorite according to many political analysts.

The new congressional map already faces two legal challenges, but the U.S. Supreme Court has been reluctant to interfere with partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts.

Drawn Out of 1st District, Harden Mulling a Move to the Eastern Shore

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Maryland’s 1st Congressional District underwent a vast transformation in the most recent round of redistricting: It once extended through northern Harford County into parts of Carroll and Baltimore counties, it now includes a southern section of Harford as its northern terminus and extends across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to include parts of Anne Arundel County.

That means the district will be significantly more competitive in 2022. It also means that some running for that congressional seat have been drawn out of the district, including incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, the state’s lone congressional Republican who lives in Cockeysville, which is now split between the 2nd and 7th congressional districts.

The U.S. Constitution requires representatives to live in the state they represent, but not the same district.

R. David Harden, one of three Democratic contenders vying for a chance to unseat Harris in 2022, said he’s looking to move anyway. Harden’s current home is near Westminster in Carroll County. The previous map put Harden, a foreign policy strategist, in the 1st District, but the new one puts him in the 8th District. He said in an interview that he’s “actively looking for a place on the Eastern Shore.”

But he said that he wants to see whether litigation might shake up the newly drawn district lines before making a move. Fair Maps Maryland, an anti-gerrymandering group with ties to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), vowed legal action against the General Assembly’s congressional map just moments after it passed the state Senate during last week’s special session.

“The uncertainty of that, though, is weighed against the fact that this district is perfect for me,” Harden said.

Harden sees opportunity in the newly drawn 1st District. The district was redrawn in 2012 to be heavily conservative, allowing for a Democratic-leaning 6th District in Western Maryland, and Harris handily won reelection. But the new lines have put the 1st District into toss-up territory, and Harden hopes that he’ll be able to capture votes from both Republicans and Democrats by positioning himself as a moderate.

The congressional map adopted by the General Assembly. Screenshot.

Harden expects to face Heather R. Mizeur in the Democratic primary next year. Mizeur, formerly a state delegate from Montgomery County, now lives in Chestertown on the Eastern Shore. She has already broken early fundraising records in the 1st District. Jennifer Pingley (D), a registered nurse who lives in Cecil County, also is vying for a chance to unseat Harris.

The new 1st District includes more than 200,000 residents of central Anne Arundel County. Harden hopes that area’s proximity to military bases and government contracting firms will allow him to flex his foreign service experience and appeal to voters there.

“They’re moderate folks,” Harden said. “They care about education, they care about economic opportunity, they care about crime, security and stability.”

Harden hopes to use his rural upbringing and ancestral ties to the several parts of the district to appeal to voters. He said both of his parents trace their family history back to the Eastern Shore, and that his father’s side of the family later moved to Anne Arundel County near the Severn River.

Harden noted that Democrats have struggled to win rural districts in recent years. 2022 is showing signs that it could be a particularly tough year for Democrats in rural areas after Republican Glenn Youngkin swept rural counties in Virginia during that state’s November gubernatorial election.

“Whatever the Democrats have been doing in rural America, the Democratic strategy for rural America has failed,” Harden said. “We need to be competitive in rural counties. And that means that we have to understand the hopes and aspirations, the challenges and the grievances of rural counties.”

Mizeur is a prominent progressive who had garnered a significant backing before the district was redrawn — and she has been endorsed by Wayne Gilchrest, a moderate Republican and longtime 1st District representative.

And Mizeur’s farming background isn’t anything to write off, either: She grew up in Blue Mound, a village in rural Macon County, Illinois, and now lives on an organic farm in Chestertown. According to her campaign, her family has been farming for seven generations.

“Winning – and representing the people here – requires an ability to build coalitions, work with people across the political spectrum, and solve problems with pragmatic solutions,” Mizeur said in a statement. “That has been my calling card for years, and it’s the reason my campaign has garnered support from a wide range of leaders – from former Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, or from local leaders like Salisbury Mayor Jake Day to former Queen Anne’s County Republican Commissioner David Dunmyer, just to name a few.”

Harden said he thinks the Democratic challenger to Harris in 2022 will need to garner votes from “centrist Democrats, independents and Hogan Republicans” to have a realistic chance of winning.

Appealing to rural voters, including watermen and farmers, is set to be a key aspect of both Harden’s and Mizeur’s campaigns. Mizeur recently rolled out a “Farmers for Mizeur” group and outlined a plan to include farmers in the fight against climate change. Harden has said the Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Bay should be a proving ground for technologies that, likewise, will combat climate change.

The 2022 primary election will be held on June 28, 2022. Learn how to register to vote here.

By Bennett Leckrone

Marylanders Urge Redistricting Commission To Draw More Competitive 1st Congressional District

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Marylanders said the state’s solidly Republican 1st Congressional District should be redrawn to be more competitive at a Monday evening Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission hearing, citing U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris’ vote earlier this year against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

Harris, the state’s lone Republican in Congress, was among a majority of U.S. House Republicans who objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election results after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. People who testified at Monday’s meeting cited that vote, alongside Harris’ vote against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to police officers who protected the Capitol that day, as reasons to draw a more competitive 1st District.

The Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission (LRAC) released four “concept” congressional maps last week. While two of those maps would likely maintain Democrats’ current 7-1 advantage in the state, two would combine the Eastern Shore with portions of Anne Arundel County to create a more competitive 1st District.

“The existing congressional map has empowered an extremist to represent us with little fear of retribution for any of his actions or comments,” Queen Anne’s County resident Peter Behringer said at a statewide virtual LRAC hearing Monday.

Behringer said lawmakers should draw up a 1st District that is “competitive and balanced” and empowers people of color.

Those who testified overwhelmingly supported Plan 3, boundaries proposed by the commission that include a large portion of Anne Arundel County with the Eastern Shore and is the closest to an 8-0 Democratic map. That plan would include a 1st District that would favor Democrats 55%-45%, according to an analysis by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

Plan 2, which includes a smaller portion of Anne Arundel County with the Eastern Shore, would favor Democrats 51% to 49%, according to the analysts at Princeton. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave all four maps a failing grade after researchers rated them based on “partisan fairness,” “competitiveness” and “geographic features.”

Harris has handily won re-election bids in the 1st District since he ousted Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil by a wide margin in the 2010 election, and garnered 63.4% of the vote against challenger Mia Mason’s 36.4% in the 2020 election. His current Democratic challengers include former state Del. Heather R. Mizeur and foreign policy strategist R. David Harden.

The 1st District currently includes the entire Eastern Shore before looping north to include parts of Harford, Baltimore and Carroll counties.

“He can lean extremely far to the right since the current map stacks Republicans together in District 1,” Felicia Martin, a Harford County resident, said. “Districts should be drawn so that representatives can contemplate a spectrum of issues and be willing to work with both parties.”

Judy Wixted, an Eastern Shore resident, said Plan 3 is “somewhat acceptable,” but added that she doesn’t think the plan goes far enough to challenge Harris.

“This district, as it was drawn ten years ago, packed MD-1 in such a way that only the most radical Republican could win a primary,” she said.

Mason likewise urged lawmakers to draw a more competitive 1st District at the meeting, and also noted the vast geographic size of the district as it’s currently drawn, comparing it to “two Delawares.”

Some who testified at the meeting said it makes sense to combine the Eastern Shore with Anne Arundel County, since the regions are connected by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Marnette Finn, an Anne Arundel County resident, said the Eastern Shore is linked “culturally and economically” with Anne Arundel County because of the bridge. She said it makes more sense to connect the Eastern Shore with the rest of Maryland at the bridge rather than by going north through Harford County.

“Both regions have the same economic and environmental interest in protecting the Bay,” Finn said.

Paul Berman noted that Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) has said he wants the planned third span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to be built at the current site.

“Governor Hogan’s insistence on expanding the connection between the Eastern Shore and Anne Arundel County offers clear confirmation of this commission’s [Plan 3]. Linking the Eastern Shore with Annapolis and a large portion of Anne Arundel County would provide the best configuration for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District,” Berman said.

The congressional map proposed by Hogan’s Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission (MCRC) keeps the Eastern Shore linked with parts of northern Maryland. That map received high marks from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for partisan fairness, and Hogan has said he will oppose any maps from the General Assembly that differ from the MCRC’s proposal.

While Hogan could veto congressional maps, Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate and have complete control over the redistricting process in Maryland. Lawmakers are set to tackle congressional redistricting at a special session beginning Dec. 6.

Maryland’s current congressional district map was challenged as an illegal partisan gerrymander in federal court and considered by the Supreme Court twice, with justices ultimately decided not to set a standard for what constitutes extreme gerrymandering.

By Bennett Leckrone

Politico: Md. Dems Eyeing State’s Only Republican Congressman in Redistricting

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Democratic leaders in Maryland are considering a congressional redistricting that could result in eight Democrats representing the state in Congress, Politico reported Nov. 9.

The state’s current congressional delegation has seven Democrats and one Republican, First District Rep. Andy Harris. Prior to the 2010 redistricting, there were two Republicans representing Maryland, one in western Maryland and one in the First District, which includes the Eastern Shore.

The Maryland General Assembly, with solid Democratic majorities, will have the final say on the districts for Congress, Maryland Senate, and Maryland House of Delegates.

The legislature’s redistricting advisory commission has additional public hearings scheduled through mid-November, but is expected to release a draft congressional map this week, according to Politico.

A citizens redistricting commission appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan has completed its work and proposed a congressional map with six Democratic districts and two Republican districts.

The General Assembly will begin meeting Dec. 6 in a special session to map the congressional districts.

Post Report: Harris Says He Prescribed Ivermectin for COVID-19

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Rep. Andy Harris, a practicing anesthesiologist who represents the Eastern Shore in Congress, said he has prescribed ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Ivermectin is used to treat parasites, with different products for humans and livestock, and the FDA, American Medical Association and national pharmacy groups warn against using it for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

Harris, who made the comments on a Sept. 17 radio show, also said pharmacies would not fill the prescription, the Post reported.

Harris works part-time with a physician group that provides anesthesia and other medical services to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center in Easton.

 

Mia Mason Withdraws, Endorses Heather Mizeur In 1st District Race

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Mia Mason, the veteran who challenged Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) in 2020, endorsed former Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D) to take on Maryland’s lone congressional Republican Tuesday.

Mason secured the Democratic nomination to take on Harris in 2020 and had planned to run against him again in 2022, but recently dropped out of the race to focus on her family.

R. David Harden, a foreign policy strategist, is also seeking the Democratic nomination in the district.

Mia Mason

Mason threw her support behind Mizeur in a Tuesday Inside Out LGBT Radio interview, according to a press release.

“I have had a chance to witness Heather Mizeur up close and behind the scenes,” Mason said. “While we were competitors in this primary, she always shared my values of friendship and collaboration together, staying focused on our common goal of defeating Andy Harris and showing me and my wife extraordinary kindness and encouragement.”

Mason, a U.S. Army veteran, secured the Democratic nomination and ran against Harris last year, taking 36.4% of the vote against Maryland’s lone congressional Republican in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. Mizeur praised Mason as a “pillar of grit, determination, courage, and selfless sacrifice” in a Tuesday release.

Mason joins a slew of high-profile Maryland politicians in endorsing Mizeur, including U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), U.S. Reps. Jamie B. Raskin (D) and Anthony G. Brown (D), State Treasurer Nancy Kopp (D), Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D), and former 1st District Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R).

So far, Mizeur has outpaced Harris in fundraising. In the second quarter of 2021, she raised $357,000 — nearly double Harris’ $185,795, according to Federal Election Commission data. She has raised $717,445 since entering the race in January compared to the $425,122 Harris has raised in this cycle.

Mizeur reported $560,533.31 cash on hand as of June 30. Harris, who is seeking his seventh term in the House of Representatives, had more than $1.29 million cash on hand as of June 30.

Mizeur’s campaign said in a release last week that 87% of her donations from the second quarter of 2021 were from individuals who gave $100 or less. Harris has used Mizeur’s high fundraising figures in his own campaign materials. He called Mizeur a “prolific fundraiser” in a campaign letter after her strong first quarter tally.

By Bennett Leckrone

Report: Harris Among GOP Congressmen to Vote Against Removing Taney Bust, Confederate Statues from Capitol

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According to a States Newsroom report:

“The U.S. House voted Tuesday to remove from the Capitol a bust of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, a Marylander who wrote the despised Dred Scott decision—as well as evict statues and busts of men who fought for the Confederacy or served in its government.

“The legislation passed on a vote of 285-120, with all the nay votes from Republicans and 67 of them voting with Democrats. It would replace the marble bust of Taney, which is displayed outside the old Supreme Court chamber on the first floor of the Capitol, with one of the late Thurgood Marshall, a fellow Marylander who was the first Black member of the Supreme Court.

“Maryland Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) voted against the measure; the rest of the state’s delegation supported passage of the bill, which was sponsored by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, who represents Maryland’s 5th Congressional District.

“Taney wrote the majority opinion in 1857 in Dred Scott, a case initiated in Missouri. The ruling, which provoked intense opposition in the North, said that people of African descent were not citizens and had no right to bring suit in federal court — effectively upholding slavery.

“A similar bill passed the Democratic-controlled House last year on a bipartisan vote of 305-113, with 72 Republicans joining Democrats in support. But it did not advance in the Republican-controlled Senate, where Democrats now hold a slim majority.”

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.

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.”

Report: Harris Voted Against Honoring Officers Who Responded to Deadly Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

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Axios reports: “The House voted 413-12 on Wednesday to honor police officers who responded to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot with Congressional Gold Medals, among the highest of civilian honors.

“If passed by the Senate, the legislation would award one medal to the U.S. Capitol Police, another to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District Columbia and a third to the Smithsonian in recognition of the officers who responded to the siege.”

The 12 congressmen voting no, Axios reports, were all Republicans and included Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

According to HuffPost, those voting against the measure primarily objected to two words: “The language that describes the Capitol as a ‘temple’ of American democracy and another line that categorizes the mob of pro-Donald Trump supporters that stormed the building as ‘insurrectionists.'”

The Washington Post reports that Harris, in a statement, said:

“The men and women on the thin blue line, including the brave men and women of the United States Capitol Police, should never be used as props for politically charged publicity stunts like this bill.

“I truly commend the Capitol Police for their actions on January 6th, and am very grateful for their service in keeping us safe each day. But I cannot support partisan charged language found in this bill.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.-5th, in a statement, said:

“It is deeply unfortunate that a number of House Republicans opposed this action as they attempt to erase the events of January 6 and deny the responsibility of a far-right, insurrectionist mob incited by former President Trump.

“The alternative resolution they have proposed insults the memory of the officer who was killed defending the Capitol and the two others who died as a result of the attack in its immediate aftermath, using language implying that the three officers did not lose their lives in the line of duty.

“Such disrespect for the heroes who courageously tried to protect the American people’s Capitol is disgusting.”

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POLITICO reported that: “A competing bill circulated by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) named the fallen officers but made no mention of Jan. 6 or the Capitol attack,” according to a copy of the bill it had obtained.

CQ Roll Call reported that: “Capitol Police officers stationed outside the chamber during the vote were overheard questioning which members voted against the bill.”

The Senate had previously voted to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who led rioters away from senators who were still in the Senate chamber, actions widely seen in video footage from a Huffington Post reporter.