The retiring Carroll County delegate says Republicans lost the messaging fight on redistricting and should replace caucus leaders if they won’t change course.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
The day after Maryland voters approved Question 3, outgoing Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat, R-Carroll and Frederick, told House Republican leaders that their strategy has failed and urged them to adopt his citizen-led redistricting plan instead. A colleague pushed back. Bouchat answered by suggesting the caucus change its leadership.
The exchange is contained in an email chain dated Nov. 4 and 5 that MDBayNews has reviewed.
What Bouchat asked for
Bouchat’s first message, sent Nov. 4 at 11:34 a.m., was addressed to Jason and Jesse. The recipients appear to be House Minority Leader Jason Buckel and Minority Whip Jesse Pippy. He wrote that the caucus’s approach of leaning on amendments at second reader had failed and that he had warned leadership of that. His requests were specific:
- Introduce his Citizen Redistricting Convention bill and his Senate Continuity bill next session.
- Back the public’s wish for more say over district lines instead of ignoring the issue.
- Have the two leaders ask the caucus to elect new leadership.
State records show his convention bill, House Bill 56, was referred to the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee in January, with a hearing listed for March 16. Legislative records show no floor action on the bill.
A colleague pushes back
Del. Chris Tomlinson, R-Carroll and Frederick, replied just after midnight on Nov. 5. He noted that Bouchat had introduced the convention and Senate continuity bills three or four times without success, and asked a blunt question: “What makes you think any other Republican can?”
Bouchat answered at 9:09 a.m. on Nov. 5, copying several Republican lawmakers, including Pippy and Sen. Justin Ready. He argued that party leaders had boxed him out because they knew he wanted to run for governor. He wrote that Question 3’s passage reflects voter frustration and a desire for more control over the redistricting process, and that Republicans should meet it.
On message, he said the party should stay right of center, pairing fiscal conservatism with social liberalism, and present citizen sovereignty as a reform cause that can win swing voters. He cited Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt as Republicans who led change in their day. He closed by telling Tomlinson the caucus might replace one of its leaders next session: “Treat this like a business, you repeatedly fail, you get removed.”
What Question 3 does, and does not, do
Bouchat’s reading of the vote is his own. Question 3 did not create a citizens’ process. It amended the Maryland Constitution to say nothing in it supplies criteria for congressional district boundaries, and it left the drawing of maps to the General Assembly. Gov. Wes Moore said the day after the election that he wants new congressional maps once the General Assembly convenes in January, according to Maryland Matters. House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk was noncommittal, and Senate President Bill Ferguson said he would discuss next steps with his Senate colleagues.
Pre-election polling was mixed, and a UMBC Poll in October had the amendment trailing 53% to 25%. The same poll found 83% of likely voters, including 85% of Republicans, calling partisan line drawing a major problem. Maryland Matters reported that it passed with 60% of the vote.
Background
Bouchat did not seek re-election this year, and his term ends in January. Beginning in late February, he stopped taking part in most floor votes and committee meetings, saying Republican votes carry no weight in Annapolis. On March 25, Tomlinson, fellow District 5 Del. April Rose, and Ready asked him to resign. Del. Lauren Arikan, R-Harford, introduced a resolution on April 3 to expel him, and the House voted 102-14 to allow it to be introduced. It was referred to the Rules Committee, whose chair, Del. Anne Healey, D-Prince George’s, doubted it would get a hearing before the session ended April 13. Bouchat was not expelled. Buckel said at the time that policing members was a job for the House and for the members’ voters, not the caucus.
MDBayNews reported in October on a separate Bouchat email in which he called Question 3 an “arrogant” attack on citizen sovereignty and said his own party was part of the problem.
What to Watch
- Caucus leadership. House Republicans re-elected Buckel and Pippy by acclamation in January 2025. Bouchat, whose own term ends in January, has now called for new leadership.
- The map. Moore wants new congressional districts for 2028. The 1st District, held by Rep. Andy Harris, is the state’s only Republican-held seat. House Majority Leader David Moon, D-Montgomery, said other priorities should come first in January.
- The 2027 session. Whether any Republican files a citizen redistricting bill once Bouchat is gone.
Sources: Email chain between Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat and Del. Chris Tomlinson, Nov. 4 to 5, 2026, reviewed by MDBayNews. Maryland Matters, “House Republican seeks to expel Bouchat for absences,” April 3, 2026, and “Resolution to expel Bouchat gets support, then gets sent to dead-end committee,” April 4, 2026. The Baltimore Banner, April 3, 2026. Maryland General Assembly, House Bill 56 (2026 session) bill page. Christine Condon, “Moore wants new congressional maps for Maryland after Question 3 victory,” Maryland Matters via States Newsroom, Nov. 4, 2026. Maryland Matters, “Months of congressional redistricting fights end with win for Question 3,” Nov. 3, 2026. UMBC Poll, as reported by MDBayNews, Oct. 7, 2026. WCBC Radio, “House Republican Caucus Re-Elects Leadership,” Jan. 7, 2025. MDBayNews, “Bouchat Calls Question 3 an ‘Arrogant’ Attack on Citizen Sovereignty,” Oct. 10, 2026.
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