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Maryland's 6th congressional district

Coordinates: 39°42′N 78°06′W / 39.7°N 78.1°W / 39.7; -78.1
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Maryland's 6th congressional district
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative
Area3,062.27 sq mi (7,931.2 km2)
Distribution
  • 84.49% urban
  • 15.51% rural
Population (2023)799,719
Median household
income		$96,127[1]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+2[2]

Maryland's 6th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives from the northwest part of the state. The district comprises all of Garrett, Allegany, Frederick, and Washington counties as well as a portion of Montgomery County. David Trone (D) is its current representative.[3]

The previous boundaries of the district were the subject of a Supreme Court lawsuit over partisan gerrymandering. The court ruled that taking into account partisan advantage when redistributing is "not judiciable" in federal courts, leaving it to the states.[4] In 2012, the district was found to be the ninth least compact congressional district in the United States.[5]

John Delaney, who represented the district after unseating 11-term incumbent republican Roscoe Bartlett, gave up the seat in 2018 to focus on his bid for president and was succeeded by fellow Democrat David Trone, who won re-election in 2020 as well. However, after redistricting in 2022, the district became much more competitive, giving up a portion of heavily Democratic Montgomery County in exchange for a more Republican-leaning portion of Frederick County. The district leans just slightly Democratic, with the heavily conservative, white, and rural regions of Western Maryland being balanced out by politically competitive Frederick County and heavily Democratic and culturally diverse suburbs in Montgomery County such as Gaithersburg and Germantown.[6] Nevertheless, Trone was re-elected by nearly 10 points over Maryland House of Delegates member Neil Parrott.

History

[edit]

The Maryland 6th District was one of the original districts that had a congressman starting in 1789. At that time, the district essentially had what remained its modern boundaries, consisting of the Maryland panhandle and areas eastward, all the way to the modern western boundary of the District of Columbia. However, after the 1790 census Maryland's representation increased to 8 congressmen. (Women would not be elected to Congress until 1916.) The new sixth district was in the north-east corner of the state east of Baltimore, covering essentially the modern counties of Harford, Cecil and Kent.[7]

For most of the time from 1873 to 2013, the 6th was a mostly rural district anchored in western Maryland. It was in Republican hands for all but one term from 1943 to 1971, before conservative Democrat Goodloe Byron won it in 1971. He died in 1978 and was succeeded by his widow, Beverly, who held it for seven terms before being ousted by a more liberal challenger in the 1992 Democratic primary. Republican Roscoe Bartlett won the general election, and was reelected without serious challenge nine more times.

However, redistricting after the 2010 census significantly altered the 6th. It lost much of heavily Republican Carroll County, as well as the more rural and conservative portions of Frederick County, to the heavily Democratic 8th District. It also lost its shares of Baltimore and Harford counties, as well as another portion of Carroll, to the already heavily Republican 1st District. Taking their place was a heavily Democratic spur of western Montgomery County, which was only connected to the rest of the district by a tendril in Frederick County.

The new map turned the 6th from a heavily Republican district into a Democratic-leaning district. While John McCain carried the 6th with 57 percent of the vote in 2008,[8] Barack Obama would have carried the new 6th with 56 percent.[9] This was mainly because the Montgomery County portion had almost three times as many people as the rest of the district combined.

In his bid for an 11th term, Bartlett was defeated by Democrat John Delaney, who lives in the Montgomery County portion of the district, by over 21 points. Proving just how Democratic this district was, in 2014, Delaney narrowly won a second term against Republican Dan Bongino. Delaney only won one county in the district. However, that one county was Montgomery, where Bongino lost by over 20,500 votes.[10]

In 2013, Republican voters filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the Democratic legislature and Governor Martin O'Malley had engaged in partisan gerrymandering, redrawing the 6th district after the 2010 census in a way that intentionally and unconstitutionally diluted Republican voters by including parts of the heavily Democratic Washington suburbs. A federal district judge initially dismissed the lawsuit, as did the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, for failure to state a claim. The Republicans appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in 2015 that the lower courts had improperly dismissed the case. The case went back to the lower courts where a three judge panel ruled that the Republicans could not prove that John Delaney's election in 2012 was a result of the redistricting. Republican voters again appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case, Benisek v. Lamone, in December 2017.[11][12] In June 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that questions of partisan gerrymandering represented a nonjusticiable political question and remanded the case back to the district court with instructions to dismiss the case.

Recent statewide election results

[edit]
Year Office Results
2000 U.S. President Bush 61% – 36%
2004 U.S. President Bush 65% – 34%
2008 U.S. President McCain 58% – 40%
2012 U.S. President Obama 55% – 42%
2016 U.S. President Clinton 55% – 40%
2020 U.S. President Biden 61% – 38%

[citation needed]

Composition

[edit]
# County Seat Population
1 Allegany Cumberland 67,273
21 Frederick Frederick 293,391
23 Garrett Oakland 28,423
31 Montgomery Rockville 1,058,474
43 Washington Hagerstown 155,813

Cities of 10,000 or more people

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2,500 – 10,000 people

[edit]

List of members representing the district

[edit]
Member
(Residence) 		Party Years Con-
gress 		Electoral history Location
District created March 4, 1789

Daniel Carroll
(Rock Creek) 		Pro-Administration March 4, 1789 –
March 3, 1791 		1st Elected in 1789.
Lost re-election.
Upton Sheredine
(Liberty) 		Anti-Administration March 4, 1791 –
March 3, 1793 		2nd Elected in 1790.
[data missing]
Gabriel Christie
(Havre de Grace) 		Anti-Administration March 4, 1793 –
March 3, 1795 		3rd
4th 		Elected in 1792.
Re-elected in 1794.
Lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1795 –
March 3, 1797
William Matthews
(Cecil County) 		Federalist March 4, 1797 –
March 3, 1799 		5th Elected in 1796.
Retired.
Gabriel Christie
(Havre de Grace) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1799 –
March 3, 1801 		6th Elected in 1798.
Retired.

John Archer
(Medical Hall) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1801 –
March 3, 1807 		7th
8th
9th 		Re-elected in 1801.
Re-elected in 1803.
Re-elected in 1804.
Lost re-election.
John Montgomery
(Bel Air) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1807 –
April 29, 1811 		10th
11th
12th 		Elected in 1806.
Re-elected in 1808.
Re-elected in 1810.
Resigned after appointment as Attorney General of Maryland.
Vacant April 29, 1811 –
October 26, 1811 		12th

Stevenson Archer
(Bel Air) 		Democratic-Republican October 26, 1811 –
March 3, 1817 		12th
13th
14th 		Elected to finish Montgomery's term.
Re-elected in 1812.
Re-elected in 1814.
Lost re-election.

Philip Reed
(Chestertown) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1817–
March 3, 1819 		15th Elected in 1816.
Lost re-election.

Stevenson Archer
(Bel Air) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1819–
March 3, 1821 		16th Elected in 1818.
Retired.
Jeremiah Cosden
(Elkton) 		Democratic-Republican March 4, 1821 –
March 19, 1822 		17th Elected in 1820.
Election contested.

Philip Reed
(Chestertown) 		Democratic-Republican March 19, 1822 –
March 3, 1823 		Contested 1820 election.
Lost re-election.
George E. Mitchell
(Elkton) 		Democratic-Republican[a] March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825 		18th
19th 		Elected in 1822.
Re-elected in 1824.
Retired.
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1827
Levin Gale
(Elkton) 		Jacksonian March 4, 1827 –
March 3, 1829 		20th Elected in 1826.
Retired.
George E. Mitchell
(Elkton) 		Jacksonian December 7, 1829 –
June 28, 1832 		21st
22nd 		Elected in 1829.
Re-elected in 1831.
Died.
Vacant June 28, 1832 –
October 1, 1832 		22nd
Charles S. Sewall
(Elkton) 		Jacksonian October 1, 1832 –
March 3, 1833 		Elected to finish Mitchell's term.
[data missing]
William C. Johnson
(Jefferson) 		Anti-Jacksonian March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1835 		23rd Elected in 1833.
Retired.

Francis Thomas
(Frederick) 		Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837 		24th
25th
26th 		Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1835.
Re-elected in 1837.
Re-elected in 1839.
Retired to run for Governor of Maryland.
Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841
John T. Mason Jr.
(Hagerstown) 		Democratic March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843 		27th Elected in 1841.
[data missing]
Thomas A. Spence
(Snow Hill) 		Whig March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845 		28th Elected late in 1844.
Retired.
Edward H. C. Long
(Princess Anne) 		Whig March 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1847 		29th Elected in 1845.
Retired.

John W. Crisfield
(Princess Anne) 		Whig March 4, 1847 –
March 3, 1849 		30th Elected in 1847.
[data missing]

John B. Kerr
(Easton) 		Whig March 4, 1849 –
March 3, 1851 		31st Elected in 1849.
Retired.
Joseph S. Cottman
(Upper Trappe) 		Independent Whig March 4, 1851 –
March 3, 1853 		32nd Elected in 1851.
Lost re-election.
Augustus R. Sollers
(Prince Frederick) 		Whig March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855 		33rd Elected in 1853.
[data missing]

Thomas F. Bowie
(Upper Marlboro) 		Democratic March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1859 		34th
35th 		Elected in 1855.
Re-elected in 1857.
Lost re-election.

George W. Hughes
(West River) 		Democratic March 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1861 		36th Elected in 1859.
[data missing]

Charles B. Calvert
(Bladensburg) 		Union March 4, 1861 –
March 3, 1863 		37th Elected in 1861.
Retired.
Seat eliminated after the 1860 census.
Seat re-created after the 1870 census.

Lloyd Lowndes Jr.
(Cumberland) 		Republican March 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875 		43rd Elected in 1872.
Lost re-election.

William Walsh
(Cumberland) 		Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1879 		44th
45th 		Elected in 1874.
Re-elected in 1876.
Retired.

Milton G. Urner
(Frederick) 		Republican March 4, 1879 –
March 3, 1883 		46th
47th 		Elected in 1878.
Re-elected in 1880.
Retired.

Louis E. McComas
(Hagerstown) 		Republican March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1891 		48th
49th
50th
51st 		Elected in 1882.
Re-elected in 1884.
Re-elected in 1886.
Re-elected in 1888.
Lost re-election.

William M. McKaig
(Cumberland) 		Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1895 		52nd
53rd 		Elected in 1890.
Re-elected in 1892.
Retired.

George Louis Wellington
(Cumberland) 		Republican March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1897 		54th Elected in 1894.
Retired after election as a U.S. senator.

John McDonald
(Rockville) 		Republican March 4, 1897 –
March 3, 1899 		55th Elected in 1896.
[data missing]

George A. Pearre
(Cumberland) 		Republican March 4, 1899 –
March 3, 1911 		56th
57th
58th
59th
60th
61st 		Elected in 1898.
Re-elected in 1900.
Re-elected in 1902.
Re-elected in 1904.
Re-elected in 1906.
Re-elected in 1908.
Retired.

David J. Lewis
(Cumberland) 		Democratic March 4, 1911 –
March 3, 1917 		62nd
63rd
64th 		Elected in 1910.
Re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Retired.

Frederick N. Zihlman
(Cumberland) 		Republican March 4, 1917 –
March 3, 1931 		65th
66th
67th
68th
69th
70th
71st 		Elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Re-elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Re-elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Lost re-election.

David J. Lewis
(Cumberland) 		Democratic March 4, 1931 –
January 3, 1939 		72nd
73rd
74th
75th 		Elected in 1930.
Re-elected in 1932.
Re-elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Retired.

William D. Byron
(Williamsport) 		Democratic January 3, 1939 –
February 27, 1941 		76th
77th 		Elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Died.
Vacant February 27, 1941 –
May 27, 1941 		77th

Katharine Byron
(Williamsport) 		Democratic May 27, 1941 –
January 3, 1943 		Elected to finish her husband's term.
Retired.

James G. Beall
(Frostburg) 		Republican January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1953 		78th
79th
80th
81st
82nd 		Elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Re-elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Retired after election as a U.S. senator.

DeWitt S. Hyde
(Bethesda) 		Republican January 3, 1953 –
January 3, 1959 		83rd
84th
85th 		Elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Lost re-election.

John R. Foley
(Kensington) 		Democratic January 3, 1959 –
January 3, 1961 		86th Elected in 1958.
Lost re-election.

Charles M. Mathias Jr.
(Frederick) 		Republican January 3, 1961 –
January 3, 1969 		87th
88th
89th
90th 		Elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1962.
Re-elected in 1964.
Re-elected in 1966.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.

John G. Beall Jr.
(Frostburg) 		Republican January 3, 1969 –
January 3, 1971 		91st Elected in 1968.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.

Goodloe E. Byron
(Frederick) 		Democratic January 3, 1971 –
October 11, 1978 		92nd
93rd
94th
95th 		Elected in 1970.
Re-elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Died.

Beverly Byron
(Frederick) 		Democratic January 3, 1979 –
January 3, 1993 		96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd 		Elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1990.
Lost renomination.

Roscoe Bartlett
(Frederick) 		Republican January 3, 1993 –
January 3, 2013 		103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
109th
110th
111th
112th 		Elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Re-elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Lost re-election after redistricting. 		1993–2003
[data missing]
2003–2013

John Delaney
(Potomac) 		Democratic January 3, 2013 –
January 3, 2019 		113th
114th
115th 		Elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Retired to run for U.S. President. 		2013–2023

David Trone
(Potomac) 		Democratic January 3, 2019 –
present 		116th
117th
118th 		Elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Retiring at end of term to run for U.S. senator.
2023–present

Recent election results

[edit]

1990s

[edit]
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 1990[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Beverly B. Byron (Incumbent) 106,502 65.35
Republican Christopher P. Fiotes, Jr. 56,479 34.65
Total votes 162,981 100.00
Democratic hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 1992[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett 125,564 54.17
Democratic Thomas H. Hattery 106,224 45.83
Total votes 231,788 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 1994[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 122,809 65.95
Democratic Paul Muldowney 63,411 34.05
Total votes 186,220 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 1996[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 132,853 56.83
Democratic Stephen Crawford 100,910 43.16
Write-ins 25 0.01
Total votes 233,788 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 1998[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 127,802 63.42
Democratic Timothy D. McCown 73,728 36.58
Total votes 201,530 100.00
Republican hold

2000s

[edit]
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2000[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 168,624 60.65
Democratic Donald M. DeArmon 109,136 39.25
Write-ins 285 0.10
Total votes 278,045 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2002[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 147,825 66.17
Democratic Donald M. DeArmon 75,575 33.83
Total votes 223,400 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2004[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 206,076 67.45
Democratic Kenneth T. Bosley 90,108 29.49
Green Gregory T. Hemingway 9,324 3.05
Total votes 305,508 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2006[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 141,200 58.97
Democratic Andrew J. Duck 92,030 38.43
Green Robert E. Kozak 6,095 2.55
Write-ins 128 0.05
Total votes 239,453 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2008[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 190,926 57.76
Democratic Jennifer Dougherty 128,207 38.79
Libertarian Gary W. Hoover, Sr. 11,060 3.35
Write-ins 342 0.10
Total votes 330,535 100.00
Republican hold

2010s

[edit]
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2010[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roscoe Bartlett (Incumbent) 148,820 61.45
Democratic Andrew J. Duck 80,455 33.22
Libertarian Dan Massey 6,816 2.81
Constitution Michael Reed 5,907 2.44
Write-ins 191 0.08
Total votes 242,189 100.00
Republican hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2012[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Delaney 181,921 58.8
Republican Roscoe G. Bartlett (Incumbent) 117,313 37.9
Libertarian Nickolaus Mueller 9,916 3.2
N/A Others (write-in) 399 0.1
Total votes 309,549 100
Democratic gain from Republican
Maryland's 6th congressional district election, 2014[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Delaney (Incumbent) 94,704 49.7
Republican Dan Bongino 91,930 48.2
Green George Gluck 3,762 2
N/A Others (write-in) 140 0.1
Total votes 190,536 100
Democratic hold
Maryland's 6th Congressional District, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Delaney (Incumbent) 185,770 56.0%
Republican Amie Hoeber 133,081 40.1%
Libertarian David L. Howser 6,889 2.1%
Green George Gluck 5,824 1.8%
Write-in Ted Athey 103 0.0%
No party Write-ins 306 0.1
Total votes 331,973 100
Democratic hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district, 2018[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Trone 163,346 59.0
Republican Amie Hoeber 105,209 38.0
Libertarian Kevin Caldwell 4,972 1.8
Green George Gluck 3,275 1.2
Independent Other write-ins 282 0.1
Total votes 277,084 100
Democratic hold

2020s

[edit]
Maryland's 6th congressional district, 2020[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Trone (Incumbent) 215,540 58.8
Republican Neil Parrott 143,599 39.2
Green George Gluck 6,893 1.9
No party Write-ins 402 0.1
Total votes 366,434 100.0
Democratic hold
Maryland's 6th congressional district, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Trone (incumbent) 140,295 54.7
Republican Neil Parrott 115,771 45.2
Write-in 332 0.1
Total votes 256,398 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Supported the Adams-Clay faction in the 1824 United States presidential election

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
  2. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". The Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. ^ Varney, James (October 31, 2018). "Amie Hoeber and David Trone, Maryland's 6th Congressional District candidates, don't live there". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  4. ^ Liptak, Adam (June 27, 2019). "Supreme Court Says Constitution Does Not Bar Partisan Gerrymandering". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  5. ^ Lazarick, Len (October 3, 2012). "Maryland has least compact congressional districts in nation". MarylandReporter.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (March 30, 2022). "The Major Shakeups for Incumbents in Legislative Leaders' Redrawn Congressional Map". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  7. ^ The Historical cal Parties in Congress, p. 74
  8. ^ "Swing State Project: Presidential Results by Congressional District, 2000–2008". October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
  9. ^ "Daily Kos Elections 2008 & 2012 presidential election results for congressional districts used in 2012 & 2014 elections". Google Docs.
  10. ^ "Maryland House results". Politics. CNN. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  11. ^ Supreme Court will take up a second gerrymandering case this term (Washington Post)
  12. ^ "Benisek v. Lamone". Brennancenter.org. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  13. ^ "Info" (PDF). clerk.house.gov. 1990. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  14. ^ "92 PRESIDENTIAL and CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION STATISTICS". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "94 congressional election statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "96 PRESIDENTIAL and CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION STATISTICS". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  17. ^ "1998 Election Statistics – Legislative Activities". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  18. ^ "2000 election statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  19. ^ "2002 election statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  20. ^ "2004 election statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  21. ^ "2006 Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  22. ^ "2008 Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "Info" (PDF). clerk.house.gov. 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Unofficial 2012 Presidential General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  25. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for Representative in Congress: Congressional District 6". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 11, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  26. ^ "Official 2020 Presidential General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved December 14, 2020.

Bibliography

[edit]

39°42′N 78°06′W / 39.7°N 78.1°W / 39.7; -78.1

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