Governor of Maryland Wes Moore, a Democrat, addressed the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Saturday night in Washington, D.C and suggested that his state could join those answering the call to fight against what Democrats portray as unjust, partisan Republican redistricting in states like Texas.
Moore, who has been in a very public battle with President Trump over Key Bridge funding and Baltimore’s public safety, told the gathering: “At a time when we are watching the President attempting to gerrymander Black leaders out of office, which, by the way, amounts to nothing more but political redlining, I know there are a lot of conversations happening around the country about drawing fair maps. Donald Trump does not get to pick and choose which states have ‘fair maps,’ and which other states should sit on their hands.”
Moore added: “I want to be very clear and say it loud enough for the people in the back, while these other states are determining whether or not they have fair maps…so will Maryland.”
[NOTE: Under Governor Greg Abbott, Texas redrew its congressional maps recently in a move designed to put five move House seats in reliably Republican territory, shifting the balance of power and altering the voting impact of individual Texans. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom is seeking to alter the maps in his state, though in California such a change requires a public vote approving the move.)
The President does not get to pick and choose which states should have “fair maps” while other states sit on their hands.
While other states are determining whether or not they have fair maps, so will Maryland. pic.twitter.com/JE9s1v9omd
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) September 28, 2025
Moore’s comments — which put into effect could dramatically impact House leadership — are being attacked by Maryland Republicans who say the state’s map has been gerrymandered by Democrats for years.
Among those objecting to Moore’s tacit threat to redistrict the state — seen as an existential threat — was Republican Maggie Litz Domanowski, Baltimore County Board of Education Member (District 3), who replied: “I can’t find the words to describe just how completely hypocritical this statement is.”
Mark Fisher, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates and founding member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, also hit back at Moore with an attack mentioning that “Maryland has a black governor, black attorney general & black speaker of the house” — an attempt to imply the state’s maps already favor Democrats.
[Note: Anthony Brown is Maryland’s Attorney General and in 2019 Adrienne Jones became the first woman and African-American to serve as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.]
During his speech at the event, Governor Moore also evoked the names of trailblazing Black leaders, “History is not going to remember this administration well. To those who are sitting down and doing nothing, to those who are capitulating: history will remember you worse.”
Moore added: “The ancestors are watching us right now and they are praying that we don’t bend the knee. That our sister Shirley Chisholm didn’t bend the knee. That brother Adam Clayton Powell did not bend the knee. My mentor Elijah Cummings did not bend the knee. That John Lewis did not bend the knee.” Moore added, “I’ve led soldiers in combat and I don’t bend the knee for anybody.”