“I Am Proud To Have Stood Alongside Moore And Peña-Melnyk Throughout This Fight”
Yesterday, Delegate Joe Vogel praised Governor Moore’s work to pass redistricting legislation and his continued fight to ensure Maryland is standing up in the face of power grabs from Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington.
“I am proud of the vote I cast. I am proud of the work we did in the House. And I am proud to have stood alongside Moore and Peña-Melnyk throughout this fight,” said Delegate Joe Vogel. “Even after the legislation stalled, Moore continued pushing. Peña-Melnyk continued leading. Those of us in the House who believed Marylanders deserved a voice continued making our case. That point is important because there has been plenty of political rhetoric surrounding this debate. What we ultimately did was remarkably straightforward: We trusted the voters. And now, Maryland’s highest court has affirmed that Marylanders can make that choice.”
Here’s What Marylanders Are Reading:
As a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, I had a front-row seat to the fight over congressional redistricting. I saw the difficult conversations, the setbacks and the moments when it would have been easier to walk away.
But Gov. Wes Moore and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk never did.
Now, after the Supreme Court of Maryland’s decision, the people of our state will have the opportunity to decide the future of congressional redistricting at the ballot box this November.
That is a major victory for Marylanders, and it did not happen by accident.
For more than a year, Moore warned about what was happening across the country. President Donald Trump was pressuring Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional maps in the middle of the decade for one purpose: manufacturing additional Republican seats in Congress.
We understood the stakes because we understood what those additional votes in Washington could mean for Maryland families. These were the same forces working to take away healthcare, cut food assistance, threaten federal jobs and undermine the livelihoods of people across our state.
Moore refused to stand by while other states attempted to change the rules of our democracy.
He also warned that the attacks went deeper. Republicans were threatening the Voting Rights Act and targeting Black political representation. Moore called it “political redlining,” and that description captured exactly what we were watching unfold: politicians using lines on a map to diminish the voices of communities they could not win on the merits.
Moore knew Maryland needed to act, but he also understood that a decision this consequential required a serious process.
He created a bipartisan commission to study congressional redistricting and recommend a path forward. That commission ultimately recommended moving ahead.
Then, Peña-Melnyk went to work.
I was proud to work alongside her and my colleagues in the House of Delegates. She built support, kept our chamber focused on what was at stake and helped move legislation through the House.
Even after the legislation stalled, Moore continued pushing. Peña-Melnyk continued leading. Those of us in the House who believed Marylanders deserved a voice continued making our case.
Eventually, that persistence paid off.
We returned to Annapolis for a special session and passed legislation giving Marylanders the power to decide this for themselves.
That point is important because there has been plenty of political rhetoric surrounding this debate. What we ultimately did was remarkably straightforward: We trusted the voters.
And now, Maryland’s highest court has affirmed that Marylanders can make that choice.
I am proud of the vote I cast. I am proud of the work we did in the House. And I am proud to have stood alongside Moore and Peña-Melnyk throughout this fight.
But this victory does not belong to any one elected official.
It belongs to the people of Maryland.
At a time when politicians elsewhere are trying to consolidate power and weaken the voices of voters, Maryland is putting power directly into voters’ hands.
That is how democracy should work.
There were easier political paths we could have taken over the last year. Moore could have stopped pushing when the legislation stalled. Peña-Melnyk could have decided the obstacles were too great. Members of the House could have moved on to other issues.
Instead, we stayed in the fight because the stakes were bigger than any one election or any one elected official.
This November, Marylanders will have the final word.
As someone who helped fight to get us here, I could not be prouder that the decision about Maryland’s future will ultimately rest exactly where it belongs: with the people we represent.
Contact: Carter Elliott, IV [email protected]