Maryland Governor-elect Wes Moore announces transition team leaders, meets Larry Hogan in Annapolis

Maryland Goveror-elect Wes Moore (D) held his first press conference yesterday, to announce the leaders of his transition team. "We are going to move fast, we're going to be bold, we're going to be fearless," Moore told reporters assembled at the University of Maryland in College Park Thursday. He also met with currrent Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) at the State House in Annapolis, privately and then later at a joint press conference.

Moore said his transition team is moving forward under the principles his campaign had promised were "going to be north stars" in a Moore-Miller administration. "That this was going to be an administration that looks like the state of Maryland.," Moore recalled. "That this was going to be an administration that was going to be transparent. That this was going to be an administration that was inclusive."

The governor-elect announced that his running mate, Lieutenant Governor-elect, Aruna Miller, would be the chair of his transition team. Miller said that Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore President Shelonda Stokes, Moore campaign treasurer Mary Tydings, and former Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman will serve as co-chairs of the transition. The transition director will be Cleo Hirsch, who directed the COVID-19 response for Baltimore City Public Schools. 

HIrsch said the geographical location for a physical transition headquarters has not been determined yet, but that the campaign has utilized a hybrid of virtual and in-person operations all year. Miller announced that the public can submit feedback to the incoming administration, apply for jobs or learn more about the transition team in the coming weeks at MooreMillerMD.com.

A steering committee was also announced at the press conference. Members from across the state include Montgomery County State Senator Susan Lee, former Maryland governor Parris Glendening and Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan. Miller said that town hall meetings will be held with online participation during the transition.

Montgomery County election results and takeaways

Among the things Havana, Beijing and Montgomery County have in common? You know the results of a general election before a single vote is cast, at least since 2002. Once again, there were no bombshells or surprises - and no debates or media coverage of the general election campaigns in Montgomery County. Democratic incumbent County Executive Marc Elrich won in a blowout over Republican challenger Reardon "Sully" Sullivan, 71.40% to 28.04%. Every Democrat running for County Council won, as well.

Based on the current numbers, with further mail-in and provisional ballots remaining to be counted, the next County Council will consist of Andrew Friedson (D - District 1), Marilyn Balcombe (D - District 2), Sidney Katz (D - District 3), Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart (D - District 4), Kristin Mink (D - District 5), former Planning Board member Natali Fani Gonzalez (D - District 6), Dawn Luedtke (D - District 7), Gabe Albornoz (D - At-Large), Evan Glass (D - At-Large), Will Jawando (D - At-Large) and former Gaithersburg City Councilmember Laurie Anne Sayles (D - At-Large). 

Democrat John McCarthy was unopposed for State's Attorney, as were Democrats Karen Bushell for Clerk of the Circuit Court, Joseph M. Griffin for Register of Wills, and Maxwell Cornelius Uy for Sheriff.

Here's what we learned from Election Day 2022:

1. How The Washington Post Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Marc Elrich

Marc Elrich is, by the numbers, the most popular politician in Montgomery County. Many residents like him. But The Washington Post, with its pro-developer and viciously anti-labor editorial board, hates Marc Elrich. They really hate Marc Elrich. And they spent months out of 2018 and 2022, and many acres of forest wood in paper, trying to defeat Marc Elrich.

The Post said Marc Elrich was the worst person in the world. They wrote that the sky was falling, and the world would end if Elrich were to win a second term. I am almost exaggerating. The County was going down the toilet under his leadership, and he had to be stopped. Montgomery County was the worst place in the world for business, and crime was rising (despite both of those problems worsening long before Elrich became executive in 2018). The Post and many others lied about Elrich's intentions and record on affordable housing. They advised Democrats to vote for David Blair.

Blair lost. By 32 votes.

And then...the Post went silent.

After spending half the year telling us there's no one worse than Marc Elrich, the Post's stated logic could only credibly stand if they endorsed his general election opponent, Sullivan. Instead, the Post made no endorsement. In fact, they made no endorsements for County Council, either. Their reporters, who are separate from the editorial board, did not cover the general election executive and council races. By contrast, the Post extensively covered the D.C. Mayor and Council races, and Arlington County board races. Why is that, by the way? That's a very interesting question we don't know the answer to.

But we do know that the Post decided Marc Elrich was not that bad, after all. They weren't alone. All of the groups who funded ads against Elrich during the primary folded up and disappeared, as well. 

This only makes Elrich's victory sweeter - he not only won, but he converted his biggest enemies and opponents into supporters. Silence is complicity, as they say. Will the Post remember it loves Elrich in 2026? Probably not. But a honeymoon period is clearly in progress.

2. A majority of voters supported the pandemic policy of closing businesses and schools 

The County's pandemic strategy of lockdowns, the closure of schools and businesses, was loved and loathed by different segments of the population. But among those who loathed it, opposition was loud and clear. Things became even more heated when County officials tried to extend school closure authority from public schools to private ones in the fall of 2020. Facebook groups were formed, protests held and letters written. "How do we recall Elrich and the Council?" many asked. Later, they vowed to vote out the incumbents in 2022.

In particular regard to school closures, there is now widespread agreement that the lost academic year of 2020-2021 was misguided, and had a disastrous impact on the education and mental health of the children impacted by it. Montgomery County officials, like President Biden, have since adopted Trump-DeSantis herd immunity strategies to handle COVID going forward.

Every incumbent who supported lockdowns cruised to victory last night. No great sums of money were put behind anti-lockdown challengers on yesterday's ballot. If another variant or virus emerge in the next four years, we will have business lockdowns and school closures again. This is not to say that this is a good or bad thing. Only that election results indicate that those policies were either supported, or not strongly-opposed, by a majority of voters in Montgomery County yesterday. 

3. Debates are a thing of the past in Montgomery County

Montgomery County was ahead of the national curve when it came to the phenomenon of no longer having debates during elections. The last general election Montgomery County Council debates were held in 2014. And at the final Council debate that year in Olney, all of the Democratic incumbents were no-shows. Organizers with the Greater Olney Civic Association were upset, to say the least, and a packed crowd of the Council's constituents were left feeling disrespected. 

In 2018, none of the civic groups that historically held Council debates that included all candidates scheduled one. Three civic associations attempted to hold such debates that year, but were told behind the scenes to cancel them. One complied. The other two converted their debates at the last minute to happy hours, which favored the more-recognized incumbents.

There was a series of general election debates in the county executive race in 2018. But it turns out that may have only been because the Montgomery County political machine was trying to help independent candidate Nancy Floreen beat Marc Elrich. This year, there were zero debates in the general election executive and council races. 

Debates are one of the most fundamental fixtures of a democratic process. The town hall goes back to the beginning of our republic. The working class man in his flannel shirt and jacket standing up in the Norman Rockwell depiction of "Freedom of Speech." Citizens gathering to hear the positions and arguments of candidates on the issues before casting their votes. Imagine that.

You'll apparently have to continue imagining it, because there are no more general election debates in Montgomery County. Democracy died in darkness, and it is pitch black in Montgomery County, with the full and ironic support of the Post. Post reporter Bill Turque was the last to write about MoCo candidates dodging debates in 2014. The last intrepid reporter to cover Montgomery County for the Post, he moved on to The Kansas City Star in 2017. He is now Political Enterprise editor for The Sacramento Bee, after rankling officials in MoCo and D.C. for more than a decade with inconveniently-investigative reporting.  

4. A Council that is starting to look more like Montgomery County

An Asian-American will finally take a seat on the County Council next month. Despite having had one of the largest Asian communities in the D.C. region for years, Montgomery County has only this week elected a councilmember of Asian descent. Democrat Kristin Mink will represent District 5 on the Council, after winning nearly 80% of the vote there, with provisional ballots still to be counted. Attention will now turn to the 2023 Rockville City Council election. Rockville's Asian-American community, unbelievably,still has no representation on the Council, despite being a major contributor to the city's economic growth and success.

5. The new Council districts may be even worse-gerrymandered than the ones they replaced

Councilmember Evan Glass knew what he was doing when he drafted a poison pill ballot question to confuse voters in 2020 who wanted to expand representation on the Council by shrinking the size of the districts it represents into 9 compact areas. Glass put a similar-sounding question that would expand the number of seats on the Council, but avoid the downsizing of districts - and loss of at-large seats - that would make it difficult to choose his own voters. The Glass question passed, and the results are now in. 

It's bad. Really bad.

None of the Council race results were even close. These are among the worst-gerrymandered districts in the nation. Rural areas like Damascus remain lumped in with suburban and urban areas with different needs and priorities, and have gained no electoral power or representation at all. In fact, they appear to have lost power. Like the elimination of debates, this is anti-democratic and a disgrace. 

6. The incredible shrinking GOP

"Where are my choices?" asked many a voter flipping the pages of their ballot. The Republican party did not even bother to field a candidate for District 1 County Council, State Senator in Districts 16, 17, 20 and 39; Delegate in District 16, 20 and 39; State's Attorney, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Circuit Court or Sheriff. 

This is virtually unprecedented. It's bad enough when election results are as predictable as Cuba's, but even worse when the ballot looks like Cuba's.

It's no doubt getting more and more challenging to convince a Republican, Green or Libertarian to run when there are no debates, no press coverage, and every district is gerrymandered. But you can't let people run unopposed. 

Maryland election results: Democrats sweep statewide offices, Neil Parrott leads David Trone in District 6 race

Maryland election results found Democrats making a clean sweep of statewide offices on the 2022 ballot. Wes Moore will be the first African-American governor of the state, as he and running mate Aruna Miller currently lead the Republican ticket of Dan Cox and Gordana Schifanelli 59.62% to 36.98%. With a stronger resume than Barack Obama had when he rose to national prominence, Moore is likely to figure into Democratic presidential discussions sooner rather than later.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was quick to congratulate Moore on his victory, but has not yet said whether he voted for the Democrat. Hogan was out of the state pursuing his presidential ambitions in the final days before the July 2022 GOP primary, rather than stumping for his handpicked successor, Kelly Schulz. When Schulz lost to Cox, Hogan enraged many Republicans by declaring he would not support Cox in the November election. With the popular governor witholding his coattails, limited funds and Moore agreeing to only one televised debate, Cox faced an uphill battle to expand his base.

Cox's Trump endorsement didn't pay dividends in the general election, either, in a state where Trump is beloved by Republicans, but not so much by independents. His loss is likely to strengthen the hand of the Republican establishment in the 2026 gubernatorial race. Pat Sajak and Cal Ripken, Jr. remain dream candidates for the GOP. Closer to earth, Maryland State Senator Michael Hough - currently leading in the race for Frederick County Executive - is highly regarded by members of both parties in Annapolis, and has been mentioned as a likely statewide candidate in the future. Other names are sure to emerge from the party's county-level officials and activists around the state in the coming months.

It's also worth noting that no gubernatorial ticket since 1998 has won without an African-American on it. Republican Bob Ehrlich won with Michael Steele as his running mate in 2002, but later lost twice with white women running to be his lieutenant. Hogan won twice with Boyd Rutherford on his ticket. Note to future Republican candidates: black voters account for 32% of the Maryland electorate.

The Maryland comptroller race wasn't as close as some thought it would be. Democrat Brooke Lierman easily defeated Harford County Executive Barry Glassman to replace outgoing taxman Peter Franchot. Lierman, a state delegate, said she received a "gracious" concession call from Glassman shortly before midnight Tuesday.

Democrat Anthony Brown, who was upset in the governor's race by Hogan eight years ago, had a much better election night in 2022. The congressman defeated Republican Michael Peroutka by what current results show is a 20-point margin. Peroutka did beat Brown in 18 of the state's counties, however.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) handily beat Republican challenger Chris Chaffee. The Democrat recently suffered a stroke, but appeared to have fully recovered well before Election Day. Many Republicans had hoped Hogan would run for the Senate, but the governor is focused on a 2024 presidential run.

The election results were not all bad news for Republicans.

Republicans may pick up an additional seat in Congress from Maryland. GOP nominee Neil Parrott is ahead of Democratic incumbent David Trone as of this hour by 51.07% to 48.81%. The 6th congressional district became more favorable to Republicans in the most recent redistricting, but is not as GOP-friendly as it was when Roscoe Bartlett was the last Republican to hold it. If Parrott holds on to win, he would join Dr. Andy Harris (R - 1st District) in the Maryland delegation.

Nicolee Ambrose nearly pulled off a GOP victory in the District 2 congressional race. She currently trails Democratic incumbent C. Dutch Ruppersberger 46.40% to 53.47%. Republicans had hopes of defeating Democrat John Sarbanes in District 3, which was nationally recognized as one of the most egregiously-gerrymandered districts in America. Sarbanes appears to have decisively won reelection, leading GOP challenger Yuripzy Morgan 54.98% to 44.92%. Morgan ran an energetic campaign, but the district remains gerrymandered despite its more-reasonable appearance on the redrawn congressional map.

On key statewide ballot questions, Marylanders voted to rename the Maryland Court of Special Appeals as the Maryland Supreme Court, and to legalize marijuana for recreational use by adults.

Montgomery County Executive candidate Reardon Sullivan releases new campaign ad

Reardon Sullivan, the Republican nominee for Montgomery County Executive, has released a new campaign ad. "Montgomery County has changed," he says as the ad begins. "We were once the premier county in the country, but now violent crime has skyrocketed in our neighborhoods and schools. Our police are not supported, and can't do their jobs." 

Sullivan accuses the County's public school system of "pushing radical social agendas," instead of "the real lessons our children need to learn." He notes the trend of businesses leaving the county or closing, and the financial impact of that on County revenues. Alluding to the disatisfaction of a majority of Democratic primary voters with the incumbent executive, Sullivan asks, "[D]o you really want another four years of Marc Elrich?"

The ad ends with an appeal for voters to make their choice based on the areas of agreement residents have about the future of the County, as opposed to on the basis of party labels. “Now voters have a clear choice to make in the General Election," Sullivan said in a statement announcing the video this morning, "and I ask all voters for their support and their vote so together we can put Montgomery County back on the right track.”

Maryland governor candidates Dan Cox, Wes Moore to square off in TV debate October 12

After declining several invitations to debate Republican Dan Cox, Democrat Wes Moore has accepted an invite extended to both Maryland gubernatorial candidates from WBAL and Maryland Public Television. The debate is scheduled to take place on October 12, 2022 at 7:00 PM. It will be broadcast live on WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5, WBAL-TV 11 in Baltimore, Maryland Public Television statewide, and on NBC4 in the Washington, D.C. area.

Unless Moore agrees to further debates, this will be a high pressure forum, particularly for Cox. With far less broadcast advertising money than Moore has at his disposal, this will be a key opportunity for Cox to speak to a substantial TV and radio audience of likely voters. Cox is also in a rare scenario where the current governor of his own party affiliation - Larry Hogan - is refusing to help him in any way, due to Hogan's ongoing feud with Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Cox over Hogan's choice of Kelly Schulz in the GOP primary. 

"I look forward to the opportunity this October to contrast my vision and values with Dan Cox’s far-right agenda,” Moore said in a statement. “I am glad Wes Moore has finally accepted an invitation to debate with me," Cox said in his own statement this morning. "So far, he has refused or declined to respond to several requests, including those from Morgan State University and the Maryland Federation of NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association). I would like to thank MPT and WBAL for this opportunity. I look forward to letting the voters of Maryland see the candidates live, in person and unfiltered."

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore won't debate GOP rival Dan Cox at Morgan State University

Wes Moore, Democratic nominee for governor of Maryland, has declined a debate invitation from Morgan State University. MSU is the largest among the state's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox accepted the invitation, and said he will debate an empty chair representing Moore at MSU on September 27. According to The MSU Spokesman campus newspaper, which is hosting the debate, a Moore spokesperson provided the paper with a contradictory statement when asked why Moore would not accept the invite.

The Moore spokesperson said that the candidate would not debate Cox because Moore does not want to provide a platform "that amplifies his dangerous and decisive (sic) rhetoric." Yet, the spokesperson went on to say that Moore would debate "at the appropriate time and forum." Moore has so far declined at least two invitations by organizations that have invited him to debate Cox.

“The students at Morgan State University deserve inclusive treatment for their historic debate,” Cox said in a statement. "Moore should not discriminate against them, nor diminish the University’s leadership in political debates. Voters need to hear directly from their candidates, so they can make well-informed decisions on how to vote November 8th.” The Cox campaign said their candidate accepted the MSU invite "immediately."

Marc Elrich victory confirmed as Montgomery County Executive election results are certified

The Montgomery County Board of Elections certified the results of the July 19, 2022 gubernatorial primary election yesterday. A full recount in the Democratic Montgomery County Executive primary race confirmed the victory of incumbent Marc Elrich over second-place finisher David Blair. Final results showed Elrich with 55,504 votes, and Blair with 55,472 votes, a difference of only 32 votes.

Elrich will face Republican Reardon Sullivan in the November general election. While the lengthy counting and recount provided a final result more than a month after the primary, the small change in votes produced by the recount does help to boost confidence in the integrity of the vote-counting process in Montgomery County.

Maryland governor candidate Dan Cox visits Montgomery County Fair

Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for governor of Maryland, stopped by the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg. The candidate met and spoke with voters, toured the exhibits and attractions, and visited the Montgomery County Republican Party tent. One stop of particular interest to the gubernatorial hopeful was the 4-H Sheep & Swine Club booth, where he participated in the 4-H raffle. Cox was a Champion sheep (Shropshire) showman and shepherd in Maryland 4-H from 1986-1991. 

Photo via Dan Cox for Governor

Elrich finishes first in Montgomery County Executive election results, Blair-requested recount pending

After canvassers counted the 102 missing ballots that election workers discovered Thursday, Marc Elrich held onto his narrow lead over David Blair in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive yesterday. Blair did manage to cut Elrich's lead from 42 votes down to 35. That number could change again in the coming days and weeks, as Blair is requesting a full recount. But as of this morning, Elrich has 55,497 votes (39.20%) to Blair's 55,462 votes (39.17%).

Montgomery County Board of Elections finds 102 more ballots

The already drama-filled Montgomery County primary election just took another bizarre twist. Montgomery County Acting Election Director Alysoun McLaughlin issued a statement late last night on Board of Elections letterhead announcing that election staff has found 102 missing ballots. As a result, McLaughlin said, the Board will be unable to certify the election results today as scheduled. The Board will meet at 3:30 PM this afternoon to figure out how to proceed.

The ballots were found Thursday during a "precertification audit," McLaughlin wrote. “Today, we pulled our random sample of empty provisional ballot envelopes for audit and were unable to locate one of the randomly selected envelopes where it should have been," she explained. "In addition, we were unable to resolve a discrepancy between the number of provisional ballots that our staff had recommended that the Board accept, and the number of ballots scanned. Together, these two pieces of information prompted a visual search of folders where provisional ballots had been stored prior to the canvass. Those folders contained 102 unopened, sealed ballot envelopes that were never removed from their folders and presented to the canvass from the following precincts:

• Precinct 06-10 – 1 ballot

• Precinct 06-11 – 1 ballot

• Precinct 06-13 – 14 ballots

• Precinct 06-14 – 7 ballots

• Precinct 06-15 – 15 ballots

• Precinct 13-56 – 12 ballots

• Precinct 13-57 – 10 ballots

• Precinct 13-58 – 30 ballots

• Precinct 13-59 – 12 ballots

Intriguingly, McLaughlin personally apologized in the statement for not locating the missing ballots until yesterday, thereby delaying a certification of the results. The delayed certification has all kinds of implications for the photo finish of Democrats David Blair and Marc Elrich in the County Executive race. Elrich declared victory in the race last week. But if the 102 ballots found yesterday were to split Blair's way, that could flip the current results and Elrich would then have the option to ask for a recount. If Elrich retains his lead after the 102 new ballots are tallied, the recount Blair has said he will request following certification will be further delayed.

"I want to emphasize that Maryland’s comprehensive precertification audit was designed to identify issues like this before an election is certified to ensure theaccuracy of the results," McLaughlin wrote. "It worked as intended.”

“I will finish reviewing the rest of the audit to ensure that there are no further discrepancies before I ask the Board of Elections to certify the results of the election. The Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 12, and we will discuss the findings of our audit and the schedule for canvass and certification.”

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore to hold fundraisers in the Hamptons, on Martha's Vineyard this month

Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee for Maryland governor, will be raising funds with some boldfaced names in New York and Massachusetts in the coming weeks. Director Spike Lee will host Moore for a fundraising event at his home on Martha's Vineyard on August 14, CNBC reports. Attendees will pay $500 to $6000 to get inside Lee's Oak Bluffs mansion.

A week later, Moore will head to the Hamptons for a second fundraiser hosted by Dilation Capital hedge fund managing partner Brian Eizenstat and C-Street Advisory Group CEO Jon Henes. CNBC reports that ticket prices are the same for that event. Moore is only one of many gubernatorial and presidential candidates heading where the money is this month; Stacey Abrams, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Ben Sasse and Lee Zeldin all have similar events planned in the Hamptons.

Moore's travel itinerary has caught the attention of his Republican opponent, Dan Cox. In a fundraising email to supporters, Cox said that while Moore "is raising money from the international law firms and big pharmaceuticals and is in the Hamptons this month raising money from Oprah, C-Street globalists and power-hungry radicals, this week I was in the neighborhoods of West Baltimore hearing concerns of students and parents."

David Blair requests recount in Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive

David Blair today announced his intention to seek a recount of votes in the Democratic primary contest for Montgomery County Executive. A recount has been expected given the current 42-vote margin between second place finisher Blair and incumbent Marc Elrich, who last night declared victory in the race. Because the totals are so close, Blair is entitled to the recount under election law, and will not have to fund the effort. Blair referred to the Associated Press having declared the race "too close to call" in his statement this morning.

"After several weeks of counting and virtually all votes recorded, the Associated Press has declared this race too close to call," Blair said in the statement. "Given the extremely close margin, we will be requesting a full recount, and are hopeful that the outcome will be in our favor." The Montgomery County Board of Elections has not yet released a schedule for further canvassing or recounts. Stay tuned for updates on that.

Photo courtesy David Blair for Montgomery

Marc Elrich declares victory as counting of Montgomery County election results winds down

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich declared victory in the Democratic primary for that office last night, after the Board of Elections released election results showing him provisionally clinching the nomination. The board said it has only 34 ballots left to count today. As it stands this morning, yesterday's counting gave Elrich a total of 55,469 votes (39.20%), and second-place finisher David Blair 55,427 votes (39.17%). That is a difference of only 42 votes. While that number will change by the end of the day today, it is unlikely to change the outcome of the primary race.

"I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for County Executive," Elrich said in a statement last night.  "I want to thank the voters.  I love this county and care about our residents so very deeply. This primary has been a long journey (and certainly exciting). Now, with the results certain, we must work together to ensure Montgomery County remains solidly Democratic and turns out for [Democratic gubernatorial nominee] Wes Moore and our entire Democratic ticket. I look forward to continuing to work together to help...Montgomery County and all our residents succeed and thrive."

Once the count is final, Blair will have the option of requesting a free recount, due to the razor-thin margin of Elrich's victory. If Elrich prevails again in that count, he will have done what County Executive Neal Potter could not in the early 1990s. Elected in reaction to many voters' belief that developers and special interests were wielding too much power over the County government in 1990, Potter only served one term. Developers put big money behind Rockville Mayor Douglas M. Duncan (D) in the 1994 election, and Duncan served twelve years as executive.

Duncan would likely have been able to easily win again in 2006, but chose to run for governor of Maryland, before withdrawing from that race for health reasons. His successor as executive, Ike Leggett, was somewhere between Duncan and Potter on development issues. With the County political machine forming a more muscular cartel in 2002, it seized majority control over the County Council with the victory of its well-funded "End Gridlock" slate that year. The result was a dynamic of conflict between the executive and legislative branches, that only accelerated with the 2018 election of Elrich, a popular politician who has promoted responsible growth policies to limit the impact of development on existing neighborhoods and school capacity.

As we await confirmation of final results, and the likely recount, political junkies across the County have to thank both men for providing a dramatic race by each running very strong campaigns. This has certainly been exciting - and it's not over yet! But if anyone ever tells you your vote doesn't count or doesn't matter, look at this race.

Surprise! Marc Elrich is still leading after another day of Montgomery County election results

Incumbent Marc Elrich ended yet another day of vote-counting ahead of challenger David Blair in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive on Friday. In fact, Elrich expanded his lead in the latest election results released last night. He now has 53,224 votes (39.29%) to Blair's 53,026 votes (39.14%). There are still thousands of provisional ballots to be counted when canvassing resumes at 10:00 AM this morning, at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College. That means that, mathematically, either candidate can still win.

Elrich holds lead in Montgomery County election results, Blair closes deficit by 19 votes

Challenger David Blair slightly narrowed the gap between himself and incumbent Marc Elrich in the latest election results in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive. Elrich sustained his lead with 51,883 votes (39.28%) to Blair's 51,729 votes (39.16%) on Wednesday. But the gap between Elrich and Blair shrank by 19 votes, from a difference of 173 votes in Tuesday's count, to 154 votes in yesterday's tally. Stay on the edge of your seats, folks, as no votes will be counted today. Counting will resume Friday at 10:00 AM at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

Latest Montgomery County election results show Marc Elrich widening lead over David Blair

Incumbent Marc Elrich has widened his lead over challenger David Blair in the Democratic Montgomery County Executive race, new election results showed late Tuesday night. After another day of counting mail-in ballots, Elrich extended his lead to 50,765 votes (39.30%) over Blair's 50,592 votes (39.17%). It's not over yet, though, and it's still winnable by either candidate. Counting will resume this morning at 10:00 AM at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

Marc Elrich moves ahead of David Blair in Montgomery County Executive election results

After catching up to within 21 votes of challenger David Blair over the weekend, incumbent Marc Elrich surged back into first place in the Democratic contest for Montgomery County Executive Monday night. The Montgomery County Board of Elections updated election results last night to show Elrich retaking the lead with 49,804 votes (39.29%) to Blair's 49,684 votes (39.20%). Counting of mail-in ballots will resume at 10:00 AM this morning at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

Blair still ahead of Elrich as vote-counting continues in Montgomery County Executive race

Businessman David Blair is still ahead of incumbent Marc Elrich by a nose in the Democratic primary contest for Montgomery County Executive. Montgomery County Board of Elections results reported after another day of counting Friday at 8:11 PM now show Blair remaining in first place with 46,824 votes (39.32%), and Elrich right behind with 46,693 votes (39.21%). After a day off Thursday, counting is scheduled to continue for three consecutive days through Monday, resuming at 10:00 AM this morning at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College, but election officials have warned that a final tally may come as late as August 12. Mail-in ballots were actually still being accepted as late as yesterday if they were postmarked by July 19, which means as of today, there will be no additional ballots being added to the pile of still-to-be-counted votes.

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore to appear in Montgomery County August 1

Wes Moore, the Democratic Party nominee for Maryland governor, will appear at a rally in Silver Spring Monday night, August 1, 2022 at 6:00 PM. The rally will be held at Veterans Plaza at 1 Veterans Place in downtown Silver Spring. Also scheduled to appear, are U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Democratic Maryland Comptroller candidate Brooke Lierman. The event is scheduled to run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

David Blair maintains lead in latest Montgomery County Executive election results

Businessman David Blair is still in first place in the 2022 Democratic Montgomery County Executive primary race, after another day of vote canvassing at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College. When the Montgomery County Board of Elections released the latest totals at 11:00 PM last night, Blair was up to 44,722 votes (39.33%), and runner-up Marc Elrich still a close second at 44,577 votes (39.21%). Believe it or not, no votes will be counted today! Canvassing of mail-in ballots will resume Friday at 10:00 AM at the college.