BALTIMORE — A hurricane of political rage had pummeled Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, and he walked through south Baltimore to see if the same ire swirled in his district.

Mr. Ferguson, a Democrat, knew blocking mid-cycle redistricting in Maryland would cause some fury. By refusing to allow his chamber to help redraw Maryland’s political map, he torpedoed his party’s plans to retaliate against President Donald Trump and the Republicans using redistricting to secure GOP power in Congress.

But the backlash against Mr. Ferguson had exploded: close to 5,000 phone calls in 10 days, protesters at his office, activists cornering him at events. A prominent liberal podcaster railed against him. A pressure campaign streamed from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffr

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