Gov. Moore pressed on redistricting priorities as he vows to campaign for Question 3

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Gov. Wes Moore said plans to hit the campaign trail to personally push Marylanders to vote for Question 3, moving the months-long congressional redistricting fight into its next phase after the state’s highest court cleared the amendment to appear on the November ballot.

“I will be out there urging people to vote yes,” Moore told FOX45 News Friday, saying he wants Marylanders “to ensure that we are in control of our democracy and not anybody else.”

The governor’s commitment to campaign for the measure comes after the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled Thursday that Question 3 can remain on the ballot, while requiring different language after finding part of the original wording misleading and a violation of due process.

Question 3 itself would not redraw Maryland’s congressional map. If approved, however, it would change the constitutional guidelines for districts and potentially clear the way for lawmakers to draw a map giving Democrats an 8-0 advantage in Congress.

FOX45 News pressed Moore on whether he would support such a map, if voters approve Question 3 in November.

“Well, my focus is making sure that this passes in November,” Moore said.

Pressed on what comes after that, Moore did not commit to supporting or opposing an 8-0 map.

“We are very eager for the people to come out and vote yes,” Moore said.

The push for Question 3 follows months of political debate in Maryland that has also drawn significant national attention.

Earlier this year, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries traveled from Washington to Annapolis and met with Moore and Democratic legislative leaders as Democrats nationally confronted Republican-led mid-decade redistricting efforts.

At the time, Senate President Bill Ferguson was resisting efforts to redraw Maryland’s congressional map. The House approved a new congressional map, but the proposal stalled in the Senate.

Moore continued pushing for action before ultimately calling lawmakers back to Annapolis for the August special session that produced Question 3.

The governor has framed Maryland’s efforts as a response to Republican redistricting efforts elsewhere, saying after Thursday’s court ruling that Maryland would not “sit on our hands” amid the national battle. He also pledged to campaign “vigorously” for Question 3.

But polling has shown congressional redistricting trailing other issues as a priority for Maryland voters. In 2025, a University of Maryland Baltimore County poll found just 27% of Marylanders considered redrawing congressional districts lines a high priority.

FOX45 News asked Moore why he made the issue a priority when Marylanders had told pollsters other concerns ranked higher.

“My top priority is making sure that we can make life easier for the people of our state,” he said, and pointed to his administration’s record on jobs, taxes, affordability and public safety.

“But I think they also know that they expect us to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” Moore added.

Moore said that includes responding when Marylanders are “watching their democracy and watching their freedoms under such distinct attack from this federal administration.”

Republican Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready rejected Moore’s explanation and argued the redistricting debate has diverted attention from other state issues.

“D.C. political maneuvering and politics are always Governor Moore’s priority, it seems, based on how he spends his time and what he spends his time talking about,” Ready said during an interview for FOX45 News In Depth with Mikenzie Frost.

Now, both sides are preparing to take their arguments directly to voters.

Moore says he will campaign for a “yes” vote, while Ready said Republicans and other opponents will focus on persuading Marylanders to reject the amendment.

“Working to help people understand they should vote no on Question 3 is really the thing we’ve got to focus on intently moving forward,” Ready said.

Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.