Maryland delays governor’s primary amid redistricting challenge

Michigan is delaying its gubernatorial primary as the state looks into a legal challenge against its new legislative map.

The Maryland Court of Appeals issued an order on Tuesday moving the Old Line State’s gubernatorial primary from June 28 to July 19. The order, signed by Chief Judge Joseph Getty, also pushed back the filing deadline from March 22 to April 15 and moved the deadline to withdraw a certificate of candidacy from March 24 to April 18.

The deadlines to fill a vacancy in candidacy for a primary election and challenge a candidate’s residency were also delayed. The delays came after the court last month moved the filing deadline from Feb. 22 to March 22.

The order said the state received “timely-filed petitions challenging the validity of the 2022 legislative districting plan enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland.”

The Maryland General Assembly approved the new maps on a party-line vote in December. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) vetoed the new lines, but the state’s General Assembly overrode his objection.

The court is currently looking into four challenges made against the new redistricting maps, which opponents say are in breach of the state constitution and are an example of gerrymandering, according to The Washington Post.

The court decided to delay the primary because the hearing for the legal challenge, scheduled for March 23 and allowed to run through March 25 if needed, would extend beyond the March 22 filing deadline, the newspaper noted.

Ten Democrats and three Republicans are vying to succeed Hogan in the Old Line State, as he is unable to run again due to term limits.

Some are hailing the court’s decision to delay the primary as a smart move to allow officials the time to consider the redistricting challenges, while others are slamming it as a decision that will confuse voters, according to the Post.

Maryland’s new congressional map is also under scrutiny in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, where a separate bench trial started on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.