Maryland state Senate President Bill Ferguson won his Democratic primary, The Associated Press projected, defeating his first primary challenger in 12 years despite some backlash over his position on redistricting.<\/p>\n
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Ferguson won amid an anti-establishment wave in Democratic politics this year. His challenger, Army veteran and community activist Bobby LaPin, sought to paint him<\/a> as an incumbent who had forgotten about the needs of his district since he became the top legislative leader in Maryland.<\/p>\n But Ferguson, who represents the state\u2019s 46th Senate District, campaigned on his record, touting the improvements he helped fund for south Baltimore schools and the first-in-the-nation digital ad tax he sponsored in Maryland.<\/p>\n In an interview this month, Ferguson called the primary challenge \u201ca blessing in disguise\u201d and an opportunity \u201cto think through about how best to communicate with voters about the things that I\u2019ve been able to deliver over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n LaPin, a small-business owner who launched his campaign late last year, made waves in the south and southeast Baltimore district with near-daily videos he posted about the race on Instagram. He previously promoted his sailing business and his community activism on the social media account, and he surpassed 100,000 followers during the campaign.<\/p>\n LaPin also sought to capitalize on anger from some in his party against Ferguson, who defied a push<\/a> from national Democrats and Gov. Wes Moore last year to redraw Maryland\u2019s congressional districts. Moore and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., favored pushing a new map that would give Democrats total control of the state\u2019s eight House districts, rather than the current 7-1 advantage Maryland Democrats enjoy in the congressional delegation.<\/p>\n In May, Ferguson opened the door to partisan redistricting after the Supreme Court\u2019s Louisiana v. Callais decision, which outlawed considering race in drawing congressional districts nationally. Several Southern states swiftly redrew their maps<\/a> to eliminate majority-Black districts. Ferguson called the move \u201cbeyond troubling\u201d and \u201ceven more frustrating and devastating than what I imagined could be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n