Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has declared the window closed on Democrats' redistricting push, refusing to hold a vote on the congressional map passed by the state House. The decision effectively kills the effort to redraw Maryland's lone Republican-held district ahead of the June 23 primaries.

Ferguson has maintained for months that the state Senate lacks sufficient votes to pass the redistricting plan. With Maryland's candidate filing deadline set for February 24, the Senate leader argues there's no time to move forward. House Democrats had proposed extending the filing deadline to accommodate the new map, but Ferguson dismissed this as impractical.

Democratic leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Governor Wes Moore have pushed back, arguing the only way to determine if votes exist is to hold an actual floor vote. The redistricting effort was part of a broader national push by Democrats to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections, where control of the narrowly divided House hangs in the balance.