Here's my second attempt at an 8-0 Maryland map. My goal was to account for most, if not all, of the problems that were pointed out on my first attempt. So, I'm obviously interested in views on why this version wouldn't work either.
These were my objectives for this map:
1) Create two 51% AA VAP districts.
2) Keep all the other Democratic incumbents in a 60% Obama district that includes their residence (the main issue being Sarbanes/Ruppersberger of course).
3) Turn MD-01 and MD-06 into 55% Obama districts.
4) And do all that without splitting the Eastern Shore, without taking MD-01 into Baltimore, and without taking Southern Maryland away from MD-05.
Anyway, here's a statewide map, a view of central Maryland, and a close-up of Baltimore:
MD-01 (Harris-R)
Obama: 55.0%
McCain: 43.6%
Harris lives nowhere near this district (as it should be). In this version I've attached the Eastern Shore to Annapolis and the Bowie/Mitchellville area of Prince George's County.
MD-02 (Ruppersberger-D)
Obama: 60.0%
McCain: 37.9%
Ruppersberger gets most of the northern Baltimore area and the Port of Baltimore while canceling out the Republicans in Harford County.
MD-03 (Sarbanes-D)
Obama: 60.0%
McCain: 38.1%
This district now cancels out the Republicans north of Baltimore with Democrats in Ellicott City and the Silver Spring/College Park area of the DC suburbs.
Harris now lives here, fwiw, though I rather doubt he'd bother running in such a district.
MD-04 (Edwards-D)
Obama: 76.0%
McCain: 22.8%
51.0% black VAP
34.9% white VAP
This version of MD-04 is attaching heavily minority parts of Prince George's County with south Baltimore and some Republican parts of Anne Arundel County. Interestingly, while it becomes 1% less black VAP than the previous version, it also has a slightly lower white VAP.
MD-05 (Hoyer-D)
Obama: 60.0%
McCain: 38.6%
Since Annapolis goes to MD-01 in this version, Hoyer's district picks up the Democrats around Columbia in Howard County and around Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County.
MD-06 (Bartlett-R)
Obama: 55.0%
McCain: 43.3%
This MD-06 version swaps out much of northern Frederick County for more of central Montgomery County.
MD-07 (Cummings-D)
Obama: 70.0%
McCain: 28.6%
51.0% black VAP
42.7% white VAP
The heavily minority areas of Baltimore City and Baltimore County now cancel out the Republicans along the Chesapeake Bay between Annapolis and Harford County.
MD-08 (Van Hollen-D)
Obama: 60.0%
McCain: 38.3%
The rest of heavily Democratic central Montgomery County is now negating the Republican vote from Carroll County and northern Frederick County.
**
Same questions as before: Is this a good mapping scheme overall? Are MD-01 and MD-06 sufficiently Democratic to flip the seats? Is there any reason to worry about any of the current Democrats under such a map? Should we settle for 7-1 when 8-0 is clearly within reach? Finally, have I again trampled on some sacred, time-honored, and inviolable axiom of Maryland redistricting that I'm not aware of? Thanks!