Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson's shift toward supporting partisan redistricting, following the Supreme Court's rollback of the Voting Rights Act, risks turning Maryland into part of the same gerrymandering problem the state should be resisting. Maryland still has time to set a better example, especially since Democrats remain favored to retake Congress without needing to redraw the map.

Maryland's Gov. Wes Moore should follow the lead of Democratic governors in New York and Colorado and opt into the federal school-choice tax credit program created by last year's tax law. Participating wouldn't necessarily undermine funding for Maryland's public schools, and would let in-state donors support Maryland children directly rather than sending their scholarship contributions to programs in other states.

Gov. Wes Moore, who expressed sympathy for opening Maryland's primaries to independent voters during a national TV appearance, has a chance to make Maryland a leader on the issue. Following through would put Moore in the same company as Larry Hogan and Senate President Bill Ferguson in setting a different standard for the state's politics.

Maryland's restrictions on independent voters participating in party primaries deepen the same political dysfunction that's pushing more Americans away from both parties. A more ambitious primary-reform proposal recently considered by the legislature would have gone further than the weaker version that ultimately passed the House.

With Larry Hogan out of the 2026 governor's race, Maryland Republicans need a more broadly appealing nominee than Dan Cox if they want any real chance against Wes Moore. Without a viable opposition party, there's no one left to hold Maryland's Democratic leadership accountable as the state faces serious budget challenges ahead.

Governor Wes Moore brought renewed attention to Maryland's flag when he described it as a "contradiction" during a recent interview.

House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk's early and strong backing of Gov. Moore's push to eliminate Maryland's last competitive Republican district risks squandering the bipartisan credibility she built earlier in her tenure. Democrats pursuing this kind of redistricting, in Maryland or elsewhere, are following the same partisan playbook they've criticized Republicans for using.

Larry Hogan's tenure as Maryland's governor — marked by fiscal discipline, working across party lines, and remaining broadly popular in a heavily Democratic state — set a model of pragmatic leadership that Maryland's next generation of leaders should look to as they navigate an increasingly divided political culture.

Maryland Democrats don't need to gerrymander Rep. Andy Harris's Eastern Shore seat out of existence to compete for it — Democrats have won in similarly conservative-leaning districts elsewhere. Senate President Bill Ferguson's refusal to go along with the redistricting push shows uncommon political courage at a time when most politicians choose the expedient path.

Maryland Republicans undermine their own case against Gov. Wes Moore's redistricting plan when they refuse to condemn partisan gerrymandering happening in Republican-led states. Consistency matters — partisan gerrymandering is never acceptable, regardless of which party benefits, and Maryland Republicans lose the moral high ground by staying silent on their own side's version of it.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson's decision to reject a redistricting proposal backed by House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Gov. Wes Moore was an act of political bravery. If Democrats want leaders capable of standing up to MAGA, they should back candidates willing to withstand pressure from their own party and tell voters hard truths — that kind of honesty and fortitude gives the party its best shot at regaining power.

Gov. Wes Moore, even while rightly criticizing parts of the One Big Beautiful Bill, shouldn't let that stop him from opting Maryland in to a provision allowing residents to claim a federal tax credit for donations that fund private-school scholarships. Smart implementation can extend this benefit to Maryland families without diverting resources from public schools.

Gov. Wes Moore, entitled to some benefit of the doubt given the complexity of his job, has already spent significant time building his national profile through tit-for-tat exchanges with President Trump. Moore could earn far more meaningful goodwill by staying focused on Maryland and reviving the kind of bipartisan coalition former Gov. Larry Hogan built, rather than exploiting his current publicity for a larger political stage.

Maryland was at its best when it stood apart from Washington-style partisanship. Gov. Wes Moore's willingness to rearrange rather than solve the state's fiscal problems, along with his shifting characterizations of the budget he inherited, represents a departure from the bipartisan civility that used to define the state's politics under Larry Hogan.

With Maryland facing a serious budget shortfall and its worst fiscal outlook in 20 years, Gov. Wes Moore's response will define what kind of leader he really is. If Moore rises to the moment — rather than blaming others or letting national political ambitions distract from the hard work at home — he can both help Maryland and offer a positive model of Democratic leadership as the party rebuilds nationally.