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Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready (R-Carroll) makes a point during debate on a legislative redistricting plan on Wednesday. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines.

Republicans in the state Senate unsuccessfully attempted to bring back the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commissions state legislative redistricting proposal via an amendment Wednesday.

The Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee on Tuesday advanced a legislative redistricting proposal from the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, a panel convened by Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County). The committee didnt vote on a proposal from the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission, a multi-partisan panel convened by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R).

On Wednesday, Sen. Edward R. Reilly (R-Anne Arundel) attempted to swap out the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission maps with those proposed by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission but his amendment to do so was ultimately defeated in a party-line 32-14 vote. A final vote on the Democratic plan is expected Thursday.

Democratic lawmakers criticized the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission for scrapping existing maps in its legislative redistricting proposal.

It wipes out years of history in this state, Senate President Pro Tem Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince Georges) said of the decision to start from scratch in the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission map.

The Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission opted to start with existing districts and aimed to keep as many Marylanders in those existing districts as possible. One notable shift included the creation of a single-member, majority-Black delegate district around Owings Mills in District 11 to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

Other shifts in the map generally secure potentially vulnerable Democrats for reelection: District 9, for example, would be redrawn to include part of northern Montgomery County with Howard County rather than part of southern Carroll County as in current maps. That move could make reelection easier for Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard County).

Sen. Michael J. Hough (R-Frederick) said the map essentially means that Democratic-controlled districts wont be competitive in the upcoming election.

We are drawing maps that are completely partisan, Hough said.

While both panels conducted public hearings and voting sessions, Republicans also criticized the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission for holding private work sessions as opposed to the public work sessions held by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Griffith, who served on the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, said no formal votes were taken at those work sessions, and instead panelists reviewed testimony and discussed draft maps. That panel included four Democratic legislative leaders and two Republican legislative leaders and was chaired by Karl Aro, a former head of the nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services.

Senate Minority Leader Bryan W. Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel), another member of that panel, said some of the work done in closed-door sessions was consequential like deciding what draft maps would move forward and be presented to the public.

I dont want to minimize what we did in those work sessions, Simonaire said.

Senate Republicans also took issue with population variances in the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission proposal. Lawmakers are generally allowed a plus or minus 5% population deviation in legislative districts; the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission proposal keeps that figure to plus or minus 4%.

Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-Harford) charged that the map packs Republicans in rural districts to dilute their vote. Districts on the Eastern Shore, for example, all have a positive deviation in the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission map.

But the maps population deviations arent uniform: Districts in fast-growing and heavily Democratic Charles and Prince Georges counties, for instance, tend to have a positive population deviation as well.

Griffith said that 4% deviation is the lowest seen in Maryland legislative maps in recent rounds of redistricting.

It is actually one of the most compliant maps in terms of the deviation that weve had in decades, Griffith said, adding that population shifts over the last decade factored into population deviations in the map.

The Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission map kept population deviation to less than 2% for senatorial districts and less than 3% in delegate districts.

Other Republicans took issue with the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commissions configuration of single- and multi-member districts. The Maryland Constitution requires that state delegate districts be nested within senatorial districts and allows the use of both single- and multi-member delegate districts, with some hybrid districts that include both a single-member subdistrict and another two-member delegate subdistrict.

Sen. Jason C. Gallion (R-Harford) said he wanted to introduce an amendment that would stop the use of hybrid districts that include both a single-member subdistrict and two-member subdistrict. Gallions amendment wouldve required that those districts be replaced with three single-member delegate subdistricts.

Since his amendment was still being drafted Wednesday, Gallion requested to delay consideration of the legislative redistricting proposal until Friday. Sen. Delores G. Kelley (D-Baltimore County), however, said the General Assembly needs to move quickly to finalize the maps, citing Tuesday testimony from election officials who said lawmakers need to adopt the map as fast as possible so election staff can educate voters and prepare for the upcoming election.

They have almost no time, Kelley said.

Gallions request to delay the resolution was ultimately rejected. In an interview after the Wednesday morning floor session, Gallion said he was disappointed but expected his request to be rejected.

This outcome was predetermined, Gallion said.

The legislative redistricting process has in many ways mirrored its congressional counterpart, which the General Assembly took up during a special session in December. Republicans in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate attempted similar amendments to resurrect the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commissions congressional maps at the time, but those efforts were likewise rejected.

The Senate is set to return at 10 a.m. Thursday, and will likely take up the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commissions proposal for a final vote then. Unlike congressional maps, Hogan cant veto the General Assemblys legislative maps.

Read more:
Republican Amendments to Legislative Redistricting Proposal Rejected in Senate - Josh Kurtz

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy addresses the House Chamber on January 6, 2021.Amanda Voisard - Pool/Getty Images

Trump's PAC sent House Republicans a note saying leadership "should have never certified" the 2020 election.

The note, signed by Trump, was sent with a copy of conservative writer Mollie Hemingway's book.

All current members of House Republican leadership voted to overturn the 2020 election result.

Former President Donald Trump's political action committee sent House Republicans a book from a conservative writer and a note, signed by Trump, that said House GOP leadership "should have never certified" the results of the 2020 election on January 6, 2021, Politico Playbook reported.

Trump's Save America PAC sent House Republicans a copy of writer Mollie Hemingway's book "RIGGED: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections," according to Politico. The accompanying note repeated Trump's thoroughly debunked lies about fraud in the 2020 election.

"There is no question. American democracy was under siege during the 2020 Presidential election," Trump wrote.

The note went on to say: "Republican leadership should have never certified the election on January 6, and now, Democrats will not stop their assault on America our freedom, faith, family, and values. I will never stop fighting for the country we love. I hope you find this book informative and encouraging in your battle for the heart of our nation."

The gift "just shows how Trump is continuing to pressure members/Republicans to embrace the Big Lie" ahead of the 2022 midterms as many Republicans want to shift focus to criticizing the Democratic leadership in Washington, a House Republican aide told Playbook.

In all, seven GOP Senators and 138 Republican members of the House voted to object to counting slates of Electoral College votes from Arizona, Pennsylvania, or both states. Neither objection secured the majority necessary to throw out an Electoral College slate in either chamber, and only one member of Senate Republican leadership, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, voted to sustain an Electoral College objection.

Story continues

Every current member of Republican House leadership, however, voted to sustain the objections to Congress counting the electoral votes from one or both states during the joint session on January 6 when Congress reconvened after the violent siege on the Capitol.

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise, and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Gary Palmer voted in favor of the objection to both Arizona and Pennsylvania's slates, and now-GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik voted to sustain the objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes. Rep. Jim Banks, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, also voted in favor of both objections.

The GOP Conference Chair at the time, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted against objecting to electoral votes, and was subsequently voted out of her position leading the Republican conference. Cheney, now a top Trump foe, is now the vice-chairwoman of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.

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Trump sent House Republicans copies of conservative writer Mollie Hemingway's book with a note saying GOP leadership 'should have never certified the...

The field for the Republican primary in Maines sprawling 2nd Congressional District has shrunk to three after a little-known contender from Newburgh quit the race Wednesday.

I am no longer thinking about running for anything during this election cycle and decided to just throw popcorn and tomatoes from the sidelines, U.S. Army veteran Sean Joyce said.

His departure leaves two challengers trying to snatch the nomination from former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin of Orrington, who has by far the most campaign money and the support of national Republican organizations that want to see the GOP win the closely contested district in November.

Hoping to shock their party establishment and send Poliquin into political retirement are Liz Caruso of Caratunk, who has been making the rounds of county Republican committees recently, and Garret Swazey of Bangor.

Joyce, a fan of former President Donald Trump, said he would like to see Caruso do well. She is a longtime foe of the New England Clean Energy Connect project to bring hydropower from Quebec through a new transmission corridor in western Maine.

She brings a lot of energy to the GOP, he said, adding that he agrees with her about the hydropower project.

Maine power should come from Maine sources even if that means building a new generation nuclear plant and certainly not rely on a foreign dependence, Joyce said.

The winner of the Republican primary will get the chance to take on two-term U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat, assuming Golden wins a potential primary from Bangors Michael Sutton.

In addition to the major party candidates, the race has attracted two independents who are aiming for a spot on the November ballot: Tiffany Bond of Portland and Jordan Borrowman of Lewiston.

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Republican congressional candidate drops out to 'throw popcorn and tomatoes from the sidelines' - Press Herald

A political ad campaign from a group of Republicans and conservatives is singling out GOP House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy over his refusal to cooperate with an investigation into the events leading up to and surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021.

The Republican Accountability Project formerly Republican Voters Against Trump, a project of conservative anti-Donald Trump organisation Defending Democracy Together is paying for 50 billboards in Washington DC and in Mr McCarthys California district, asking, What are you hiding, Kevin McCarthy? Testify about January 6th.

The ads are set to run for the next four weeks.

Kevin McCarthy was one of the few people who spoke to Trump during the January 6 attack, Republican Accountability Project executive director Sarah Longwell said in a statement. Its time for him to tell the American people what he knows.

In a letter dated 12 January, the House select committee investigating the assault on Congress formally requested the cooperation of Mr McCarthy, who was in close contact with then-president Trump before, during and after the attack.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, who chairs the committee, said the panel obtained contemporaneous text messages from multiple witnesses expressing significant concerns about Mr Trumps state of mind and his ongoing conduct following the attack.

It appears that you may also have discussed with President Trump the potential he would face a censure resolution, impeachment or removal under the 25th Amendment, wrote Mr Thompson, referring to a Constitutional provision that allows for Cabinet members to convene for the removal of the president.

It also appears that you may have identified other possible options, including President Trumps immediate resignation from office, Mr Thompson added.

Mr McCarthy who rejected the creation of a bipartisan committee to investigate the attack, led opposition to the formation of a select committee and pulled GOP members from it, then routinely criticised its work said in a statement that the committees only objective is to attempt to damage its political opponents.

It is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committees abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward, he said in a statement last week.

The Independent has requested comment from Mr McCarthys office.

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What are you hiding? Republican groups billboard campaign targets McCarthys rejection of Jan 6 committee - Yahoo News

WASHINGTON Representative John Katko of New York, a centrist Republican who broke with his party last year to vote to impeach former President Donald J. Trump, announced on Friday that he would not run for re-election.

Mr. Katko was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Mr. Trump and is the third member of that group to announce his retirement.

In a statement that fell almost exactly one year after that vote, Mr. Katko said he decided to call it quits in order to enjoy my family and life in a fuller and more present way. He added that the loss of both his own parents and his wifes parents in the last three years provided life-changing perspective for me.

My conscience, principles, and commitment to do whats right have guided every decision Ive made as a member of Congress, and they guide my decision today, he said.

Mr. Katko, a former federal prosecutor, had grown increasingly marginalized by conservatives at home and among House Republicans on Capitol Hill, who have demanded total loyalty to Mr. Trump, played down the severity of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and eschewed working with President Biden. Those who veer off that course have found themselves attracting primary challengers, being pushed to the partys sidelines, or both.

Mr. Katkos sins in the eyes of his own party included supporting the creation of an independent commission to investigate the Capitol riot and backing a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan championed by Mr. Biden. He had already drawn three primary challengers and, if he survived that, was facing the likelihood of a brutal general election campaign.

New York Democrats, who tried and failed for years to oust him from the Syracuse-based seat, are currently eying new congressional lines that could make the district virtually unwinnable for Republicans, even in a year that officials in both parties believe favors the G.O.P.

Democrats and Mr. Trump found rare common ground to cheer Mr. Katkos decision.

Great news, another one bites the dust, Mr. Trump, who had offered to help those vying to unseat Mr. Katko in a primary, said in a statement.

Abel Iraola, a spokesman for House Democrats campaign arm, said the retirement highlighted how the Republican Partys rightward drift has made it toxic for so-called G.O.P. moderates.

Mr. Katko had been among a shrinking group of lawmakers who appealed to voters outside of his own party. When Mr. Biden won his central New York district in 2020 by 9 points in 2020, Mr. Katko prevailed by 10.

But the same centrist credentials that allowed Mr. Katko to hang onto his seat made him a target in conservative circles. After Republican leaders tasked him to work with Democrats on a proposal to create an independent Jan. 6 commission, they then abandoned the effort in favor of shielding Mr. Trump and the party from further scrutiny, urging lawmakers to oppose the plan Mr. Katko had negotiated.

When Democrats formed their own select committee to investigate the riot anyway, Mr. Katko infuriated hard-right members by voting in October to hold Stephen K. Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for stonewalling their inquiry.

And Mr. Katko was one of 13 House Republicans who voted in November for the infrastructure bill, leading some in his party to brand him and the other G.O.P. supporters of the legislation traitors, and to call for Mr. Katko to be stripped of his leadership role on the Homeland Security Committee. He had been in line to become the panels chairman if Republicans won control of the House.

The anger from his right flank followed Mr. Katko home. The Conservative Party, a minor party in New York that backs Republicans in most races, had denounced him last April and formally withdrew its support from his re-election bid after he voted for a Democratic bill extending protections for gay and transgender rights.

Bernard Ment, the party chairman in Onondaga County, home to Syracuse, said that position was the last straw. In an interview, he called Mr. Katko a Democrat, though he retained support from his local Republican Party organization.

Hes been the one guy whos tried to work on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Ment said. The problem is hes managed to alienate a lot of conservative voters and tick off a lot of Republicans, and I dont think he can make up the ground with Democratic voters.

Democrats who control New York state government in Albany are widely expected to try to pad the district with new Democratic voters as they redraw the states congressional districts in the coming weeks, giving their party a stark advantage in November. Three Democrats two of them veterans have already entered the race.

With Mr. Katko and his crossover appeal out of the way, Democrats are likely to be less fearful of a Republican winning his district, giving them more wiggle room to further expand their majority as they redraw the map. New lines could yield as many as four new seats for Democrats in the House and deny Republicans five they currently hold. (New York is slated to lose one congressional seat this year after nationwide reapportionment.)

Mr. Katko, for his part, has maintained that he was focusing on supporting his partys policy priorities, lashing against Mr. Bidens immigration policies in particular, and working to bring home results for his district. In a statement last year, he made clear how dangerous he believed the former presidents conduct was in the run up to Jan. 6.

To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy, Mr. Katko said. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action.

Nicholas Fandos reported from New York.

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Republican Who Voted to Impeach Trump Wont Seek Re-election - The New York Times