frank kratovil

Democrats in Western Maryland want redistricting to make their congressional district more winnable.

After weeks of negotiating behind the scenes, President Barack Obama came to the University of Maryland on Friday in an effort to persuade the public that lawmakers could find compromise on debt.

Baltimore County Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, led the fundraising pack among Baltimore-area members of Congress, though his seat is so far considered safe in the 2012 election.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced the make-up of his five-member Redistricting Advisory Committee on the Fourth of July holiday. The announcement of the committee first appeared on the governor's website July 5 and also noted the first meeting of the committee — the next day, July 6, in Annapolis.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's redistricting advisory committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to begin the process of redrawing Maryland's congressional and state legislative district maps.

National political groups that have become active in competitive House districts across the country, are so far holding fire in Maryland's 1st Congressional District as they wait for the outcome of the state's redistricting.

Maryland doesn't currently require any kind of disclosure from outside groups seeking to influence elections, but legislation awaiting the governor's signature would put the state in the national vanguard for election transparency.