That Was My Hope': In Lawsuit, O'Malley Admits Ger
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Former Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Md.), told an attorney that he helped use redistricting to boot a Republican congressman from office, in one of the most gerrymandered states.
For years, a number of the state's districts have been scrutinized for their wild shapes.
The former Democratic presidential candidate made the admission in the midst of a federal lawsuit over Maryland's congressional map.
According to the Baltimore Sun, O'Malley said he wanted to oust former 20-year Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.).
Maryland's 6th district previously ran the 140-mile length of the largely-rural Maryland panhandle and ran eastward to the Susquehanna River.
Bartlett was defeated in 2012 by Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) after the district was adjusted to include a slice of the heavily Democratic Washington suburbs along the I-270 corridor.
"That was my hope," O'Malley told attorneys according to the Sun. "It was also my intent to create... a district where the people would be more likely to elect a Democrat than a Republican."
Residents who are suing over the map accuse Democrats of redistricting the state for political purposes.
The Sun reported that House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hired consultants to help draft the new map.
The paper said attorneys also talked to State House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Mike Miller (D-Prince Georges).
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) remains the state's lone Capitol Republican.