Maryland has probably been the most popular state to tackle by the redistricting aficionados on SwingStateProject (now Daily Kos Elections). Unlike many other states where our maps are basically fantasy gerrymanders, in Maryland the Democrats actually have the power to do pretty much whatever they want. Everyone seems to agree, making another 6-2 map is wasteful, so the disagreement is whether we go for 7-1 (easily done) or 8-0 (a little trickier).
I suggest 7-0-1 (seven safe Dem seats plus a swing district). My goals for this map were to honor a few unofficial rules in Maryland redistricting.
1. Do not break up the Eastern Shore. Yes, I know we technically could, but it just seems to be one of those things that is politically difficult to do.
2. Do not use Baltimore City to dilute the Eastern Shore. Again it is possible, and would make the map easier, but residents on both sides would hate it.
3. Try to keep all six Dem incumbents happy. Obviously you have to define how happy because the happiest you could make them would be to make no changes at all, or changes that only make their seats even safer, which we must not do if we want more Dems in Congress. So I made changes I think all six of them could live with.
4. And finally, make the lines look prettier than the current map. Ruppersberger's and Sarbanes' current districts make we want to vomit. And there is no reason for them to look like that.
So here we go:
MD-01 (Dark Blue): Andy Harris (R). I've actually drawn Harris out as he lives north of Baltimore, but he would definitely still run here (he doesn't strike me as the type to gracefully retire when a bad map hits). In addition to dropping the tendril north of Baltimore, I've also adjusted the water contiguity piece in Anne Arundel County. Currently it grabs conservative portions, I simply have it get the liberal ones instead (including Annapolis), but the overall physical appearance of the district remains similar, and this will go over better than trying to dig it into Baltimore proper. Also, I was surprised to see that Southern Harford county is actually pretty Dem friendly, so those go in this district (instead of central Harford county as it is currently). Obama 48.2%, McCain 50.1% (old Obama 40%, McCain 58%). The African-American percentage is boosted from 11% to 19%, and Hispanic goes from 2% to 5%. Frank Kratovil would destroy Harris in a rematch here if he wanted it, but against a less controversial Republican, this would always be a swing district.
MD-02 (Green): Dutch Ruppersberger (D). Fixing this ugly district was a pain in the ass. I started with Ruppersberger's home in Cockeysville (strangely enough also where Harris lives) but there is no justification to repeat the current squid shaped beast enveloping Baltimore. Instead I gave him some territory he is familiar with north and west of Baltimore, then had him take in most of the northern rural territory above that. To keep it safe, he also gets pockets of Dem strength in central Maryland. Physically the district looks a lot less gerrymandered, and it remains very safe for him. He does get some new big population centers but I doubt any Democrat would want to primary him. Obama 58%, McCain 40% (old Obama 60%, McCain 38%). Racial stats remain similar.
MD-03 (Purple): John Sarbanes (D). Again, I started with his home (in Towson) then started trying to work in territory he is familiar with and also making the new district less tentacled (though it still looks like it is eating Baltimore City). He keeps most of his Baltimore-area precincts (even picking up some more in the city) but he gets less of Ann Arundel this time, and more eastern Baltimore County and even some of Harford. He should still be quite safe and free from any reason for a primary challenger. Obama 58%, McCain 40% (old Obama 59%, McCain 39%). African-American percentage increases to 23% from 16%.
MD-04 (Red): Donna Edwards (D). I tried not to alter her district too much as she is still relatively new in Congress. Her home in Fort Washington again anchors the southern tip of the district and it extends northwards, grabbing heavily African-American precincts around Washington DC. Previously, it then went out to get some suburbs in Montgomery but now I sent it northwards to grab the western, conservative side of Howard county. She should be plenty happy with this seat. Obama 85%, McCain 14% (same as old numbers). It is 57% African-American (unchanged from old) but the Hispanic percentage doubles to 15% at the expense of the white population.
MD-05 (Yellow): Steny Hoyer (D). I did almost nothing to change this one as Hoyer's opinion carries a lot of weight in the Maryland legislature. He keeps a nearly identical district in South Maryland (with a tendril into Prince George's County) that he can have as long as he wants. Obama 64%, McCain 34% (old Obama 65%, McCain 33%). The African-American percentage increases slightly from 30% to 34%, and this is a reflection of Maryland's changing demographics more than anything (over the past decade Maryland's black population increased by 15% while the white population actually dropped 1%).
MD-06 (Brown): Roscoe Bartlett (R). He's the easiest Republican to ditch because his base in western Maryland has so little population that it can't really anchor a district by itself. So all the Maryland maps do basically the same thing here. He loses northern Maryland and instead gains Montgomery County suburbs and exurbs. Also, Frederick was a surprise source of Dem strength in 2008, as the county is rapidly growing with new residents that tend to be more liberal. At 85 years old, the assumption is that he will retire but even if he runs again, the Tea Party caucus congressman can't win this district. This should be a great chance for Frederick Dems to put one of their own in Congress. Obama 53.5%, McCain 45% (old Obama 40%, McCain 58%). 12% African-American, 10% Hispanic, 9% Asian (all significant increases over the old one).
MD-07 (Cyan): Elijah Cummings (D). I was nervous about tinkering with this one, as his support is crucial to any remap. He keeps most of his precincts in Baltimore City (though I gave the non-majority black ones to Sarbanes instead). However, instead of his district then extending west to Ellicott City and Columbia, it instead goes south into Anne Arundel to eat up conservative precincts that are currently anchoring the Eastern Shore district. This is crucial to weakening Andy Harris, as well as protecting Sarbanes and Ruppersberger, and I hope Cummings would agree. His new district is still among the safest for any Democrat in the country, and majority African-American. Obama 69%, McCain 30% (old Obama 79%, McCain 20%). CVAP African-American percentage declines to 50%, (old was 59%). This seems drastic but he would still be beyond safe, and the district should continue to elect African-Americans even after he leaves Congress. Also, I know that looks like a touch-point contiguity in central Baltimore City but it's not. The strange overall shape of this district is an attempt at unpacking Democrats from VRA-protected seats.
MD-08 (Slate Blue): Chris Van Hollen (D). As he is also in leadership, I tried not to jack with his district too much, but someone has to take in Carroll County, and having Donna Edwards do it would look ridiculous. Still retains his home in Kensington but drops western Montgomery to swap out Carroll with MD-06. The whole area at the southern part of the district is only getting more Dem anyway so he is quite safe. Obama 61%, McCain 38% (old Obama 74%, McCain 25%). Minority representation declines slightly all around.
So there you have it! 7 pretty safe D districts, and an Eastern Shore seat that is primed for a Kratovil comeback.
*UPDATE* Based on suggestions in the comments which point out that my MD-06 isn't entirely safe for a Democrat (at 53.5% Obama), I did some quick edits and made a modified version here which is 58% Obama and quite safe.
It looks much more gerrymandered but it would hardly be the worst map in the country. Having a district stretch from Carrol County to Prince George's though might be a bit much.