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.

Maryland governor candidate Dan Cox adds campaign staff, hires former Dave Brat campaign manager

Republican Maryland gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox announced Friday that he has expanded his campaign staff with several new hires. Chief among the additions is Southern Maryland native Zach Werrell as campaign manager. Werrell managed the upstart campaign of Republican Dave Brat when he ousted GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 Virginia primary, and Brat went on to win Cantor's congressional seat that November. He was only 23 when he helmed Brat's campaign, and is co-author of the book, How to Bag a RINO: The Whiz Kids Who Brought Down House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. 

Zach Werrell

Cox's other appointments include Lucy Kruse as Campaign Press Director, Kate Sullivan as Field Director, Patience Faith as Executive Assistant to Cox, Debbie Olsen to head the campaign's finance team, and Sallie Taylor as Campaign Office Director. In addition, the campaign announced captains and directors have been named for each county and region of the state.

"With our leadership and field team, we will successfully win Maryland with the issues that are most important to Marylanders: Protecting our children, community safety, and advancing a career-friendly atmosphere," Cox said in a statement Friday night. "We are here to unite all Marylanders under this banner.” Cox faces Democrat Wes Moore in the November election.

Photos via Dan Cox for Governor (top)/HowToBagARINO.com (bottom)

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.

Maryland governor candidate Dan Cox meets with Latino pastors in Montgomery County

Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for governor of Maryland, met with a group that represents over 350 Latino pastors across the state Tuesday evening in Montgomery County. Following the event in Derwood, Cox said in a statement that the Hispanic pastors "are embracing family values with our campaign." Cox, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, has continued his outreach to diverse faith communities this week in a state where African-American and Latino voters hold significant electoral power. Earlier Tuesday, his campaign posted a photo of Cox praying with African-American pastors at a National Night Out event in Baltimore.

Photos courtesy Dan Cox for Governor campaign

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.

Trump DOD official endorses Dan Cox for Maryland governor

Kash Patel, who served as former chief of staff to the acting U.S. Secretary of Defense during the administration of Donald Trump in 2020, today endorsed Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for governor in the state of Maryland. "Dan Cox has stood for our Constitution against the vicious onslaught of those who wish to undermine it," Patel said in a statement released by the Cox campaign this afternoon. "As a state delegate and attorney, he has fought for parental rights, safe schools and streets, and lower taxes. I fully endorse Dan Cox to be the next governor of Maryland!"

Cox has already been endorsed by Trump himself. Patel previously served as an aide to the House Intelligence Committee, and as a senior adviser to Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell. Trump was reported by Axios to have considered replacing Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspell with Patel. Last week, Axios reported that Patel is a leading candidate to serve as DNI, if Trump is reelected in 2024.

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.

Marc Elrich only 21 votes behind David Blair in latest Montgomery County Executive election results

Election results posted this morning by the Montgomery County Board of Elections show businessman David Blair is still in front of incumbent Marc Elrich in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive. But as of 10:32 AM, Elrich is now only 21 votes behind Blair, who has 47,980 votes (39.27%) to Elrich's 47959 votes (39.35%). Canvassing of mail-in ballots is ongoing today and tomorrow at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

Election results as of this hour show
David Blair (top) now only 21 votes ahead of
Marc Elrich (bottom)

David Blair still ahead of Marc 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.

David Blair regains lead in Montgomery County Executive race

Incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich fell behind challenger David Blair in the Democratic primary election results Monday. After another day of counting mail-in votes, Blair moved back into the lead with 42,705 total votes (39.33%) as of 11:00 PM Monday night, and Elrich dropped to second place with 42,571 votes (39.20%). Elrich continues to lead in mail-in votes, but enough came in from Blair-friendly precincts yesterday to put him back on top.

As you can see, the vote remains too close to call with only 134 votes currently separating the two men, and the total number of mail-in ballots that will have to be counted before a final tally is still unknown. There will also be provisional ballots to be examined, and you can bet those are going to be scrutinized even more closely with the tightness of this race.

Please note, there will be no counting of votes today. It is a scheduled day off for volunteers, according to the Board of Elections calendar. Canvassing will resume at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College on Wednesday. So another day of suspense, and this time, it is Blair supporters who are feeling a boost of optimism.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan accuses Donald Trump of "collusion" with national Democrats in Dan Cox victory

After taking a pounding from President Donald Trump since the blowout victory of Trump's chosen Republican candidate in the Maryland governor race, current Gov. Larry Hogan (R) made the rounds of Sunday talk shows to fire back. Hogan reiterated on CNN his belief that Cox will not win in November, and made an unsubtantiated new charge that Trump colluded with national Democrats to secure the nomination for Cox. 

There is no evidence of such collusion, and Hogan did not provide any on the program. CNN host Jake Tapper joined Hogan in falsely accusing Cox of being a QAnon supporter. "He embraced the QAnon insanity," Tapper said of Cox at the outset of his interview with Hogan. In fact, Cox has never spoken of QAnon during his campaign, much less "embraced" it. 

Cox's newly-nominated Democratic opponent Wes Moore called Cox "dangerous" for Maryland on Saturday, but did not employ the QAnon attack, instead pointing to Cox's "allegiance" to Trump. Cox responded that,"returning power to the people and ending the mandates Moore wishes to force upon us permanently is not dangerous, it is called freedom." 

Democratic gubernatorial nominee
Wes Moore; Gov. Larry Hogan (R) would
not commit to supporting Moore despite
saying he won't vote for the GOP nominee

Hogan has said he will not vote for Cox in November, but would not commit to voting for Moore on CNN Sunday. He was widely criticized for announcing he had voted for the late Ronald Reagan in the 2020 election, rather than supporting Trump's opponent, Joe Biden. Hogan may simply be out of touch with Maryland Republicans, who also nominated Michael Peroutka for Attorney General last Tuesday. Peroutka has been endorsed by Cox and shares his positions against pandemic "lockdowns, mandates, and violations of parental and medical rights." But Peroutka handily defeated moderate Republican James Shalleck, without any spending on his behalf by the Democratic Governors Association.

Photos via CNN (top)/Wes Moore for Governor

Elrich maintains slim lead over Blair in Montgomery County Executive race as counting continues

Marc Elrich is still ahead of David Blair in the Democratic Montgomery County Executive race, as mail-in ballots continue to favor the incumbent over his businessman challenger. As of 11:00 PM last night, Elrich has 38,859 votes (39.36%) and Blair is extremely close behind at 38,583 (39.08%). That means it's still anybody's game, but Elrich voters' spirits surely are buoyed by another consecutive day of mail-in counting going his way. Today will be a day of suspended suspense - and one of rest for the volunteers doing the hard work - as the Montgomery County Board of Elections canvassing schedule shows Sunday, July 24, as a day off from counting.

Marc Elrich overtakes David Blair in Montgomery County Executive race as vote counting continues

Incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has, temporarily at least, moved ahead of challenger David Blair in the Democratic primary race, thanks to the second-day results from mail-in ballots. Blair had led in early voting and Election Day balloting, but Elrich gained and passed him as mail-in ballots were counted. 

Updated numbers released by the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 11:00 PM last night show Elrich with 35,300 votes (39.30%) and Blair with 35,004 (38.97%). Whether the trend will continue is not possible to say. On the one hand, mail-in voters might favor Elrich, and he could maintain his new lead; on the other, the precincts counted might have simply been Elrich strongholds, to be overturned by Blair-won precincts as counting continues. Enough uncounted votes remain for either man to win at this point.

Donald Trump rips into "RINO" Larry Hogan, gloats over Dan Cox win in Maryland at Arizona rally

President Donald Trump was in Arizona last night to campaign for Republican governor candidate Kari Lake, and U.S. Senate hopeful Blake Masters. But addressing a crowd of thousands at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Trump had Maryland on his mind. Specifically, the humiliating defeat his chosen GOP candidate, Dan Cox, had inflicted on Trump nemesis Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in the gubernatorial primary race there this past Tuesday night. Cox defeated Hogan-endorsed Kelly Schulz 54.05% to 41.83%.

Trump delivered several bodyslams to Hogan in last night's speech. He compared Hogan to retiring "RINO" Arizona governor Doug Ducey (R), ridiculed his physical appearance, needled the pre-election Cox skeptics on Fox News, and declared he had put a quick end to Hogan's rumored 2024 presidential run.

"We had a big win, though, you saw that in Maryland, right?" Trump began, digressing from a sales pitch on Masters' merits. "You have a RINO governor there, very much like Ducey, actually - just not as good-looking. Actually, Ducey's not great, but he's better looking than this guy...Hogan - Larry Hogan. Do you ever hear of him? Real RINO."

"And he supported somebody, and everybody said - I was watching Fox News, and they were saying, 'Oh, no, no,' the person he was supporting [Kelly Schulz], they have it made. And they said, one of the people said, 'Well, but this other person, Dan Cox, not a lot of people had heard about, but he's very good,' He said, 'Dan Cox has the Trump endorsement.' 'Well, no, I know, but this person has been around, she's gonna win.'...Dan Cox won by 19 points! And he'll be great. So much for Larry Hogan's presidential ambition. All he has to do is look into a mirror, and he'll say, 'It's not gonna work.'" 

Photo courtesy C-SPAN

Tom Perez on media calling Maryland governor race for Wes Moore: "Not so fast"

A number of news outlets declared Wes Moore the victor in the Democratic Maryland governor race today, and the campaign of Tom Perez is pushing back. "Put simply, it’s too early to call this race," Perez campaign manager Sean Downey said in a statement. "Yesterday was the first day of counting for the 212,962 recorded and received vote-by-mail ballots and it was a huge day for Tom Perez. He flipped multiple counties from election day and made major vote gains statewide, all while as many as 80,000 votes remain in Montgomery County — the largest remaining vote share and Tom's incredibly strong base."

Perez has led the race decisively in Montgomery County since vote-counting began Tuesday night, at times hold double the number of votes Moore had in the jurisdiction. A resident and former county councilmember in Montgomery, Perez is now clearly counting on a hometown mail-in vote bonanza to even up the statewide race.

Moore has led statewide in the early voting and Election Day counts. In addition to the over 200,000 mail-in ballots, there are also 15,630 provisional ballots to be reviewed and counted. The winner will face off against Green Party candidate Nancy Wallace, Libertarian candidate David Lashar, and Republican nominee Dan Cox in November.

David Blair remains ahead of Marc Elrich in too-close-to-call Montgomery County Executive race

David Blair

Counting of mail-in ballots

to begin today

Despite the counting of all early voting and election day ballots, a winner cannot yet be declared in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive. David Blair has led the contest by a thin margin for most of the hours since the polls closed Tuesday night. As of right now, Blair leads incumbent Marc Elrich 39.63% to 38%. But more than 20,000 mail-in ballots remain to be counted, and that tabulation will begin this morning. 

Third-place finisher Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer conceded the race in an interview with Bethesda Beat yesterday, and later on Twitter. "Earlier today I conceded," Riemer tweeted. "I did so full of gratitude and optimism. Gratitude to our incredible supporters. Optimism because of what we accomplished together - Ushering in a new era of progressivism in our County. Our work continues — to say YES to progress!" 

The full impact of Riemer's campaign won't be known until a winner is declared. His respectable current 20.40% showing bests any of Elrich and Blair's 2018 competitors in the executive race. Businessman Peter James is at 1.98% in last place as of this morning, and Republican Reardon Sullivan has decisively won his primary for County Executive.

Leaders in the Democratic County Council races as of this morning are as follows:

At-Large: Evan Glass (18.26%), Will Jawando (17.27%), Gabe Albornoz (15.50%), Laurie-Anne Sayles (13.39%)

District 1: Andrew Friedson (100%) [unopposed]

District 2: Marilyn Balcombe (46.98%)

District 3: Sidney Katz (57.98%)

District 4: Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart (44.52%)

District 5: Kristin Mink (40%)

District 6: Natali Fani Gonzalez (53.55%)

District 7: Dawn Luedtke (31.47%)

All Democratic Council primary winners except Friedson will face Republican opponents in the November election: 

Christopher Fiotes, Lenard Lieber and Dwight Patel (At-Large); Dan Cuda (District 2); George Hernandez (District 3); Cheryl Riley (District 4); Kate Woody (District 5); Viet H. Doan (District 6); and Harold C. Maldonado (District 7). 

Dan Cox wins GOP nomination for Maryland governor as Donald Trump hands foe Larry Hogan an embarrassing defeat

Dan Cox will be the 2022 Republican nominee for governor in Maryland, based on election results at this hour, with 2048 out of 2074 election day precinct vote totals counted so far. Gov. Larry Hogan was handed a doubly-embarrassing defeat, as Cox was endorsed by Hogan's likely 2024 presidential election rival Donald Trump, and Hogan's endorsee Kelly Schulz was rejected by a majority of Republican voters statewide. Wes Moore has a comfortable lead in the crowded Democratic race at this hour. 

Cox's win was authoritative, currently standing at 56.23% over Schulz's 40.26%, with mail-in ballots still pending. He even won 52.23% support among Montgomery County Republicans, in current voting results here. 

The numbers indicate that Trump is, if anything, even more popular among Maryland Republicans than when he first ran in 2016. In Montgomery County, an increasing trend of moderate GOP voters switching parties to vote in the Democratic primary for County offices may have also benefitted Cox to the detriment of Schulz - the impact can be seen in Cox's decisive win, and in former Republican David Blair's slight lead in the Democratic race for County Executive.

Hogan's increasingly-caustic attacks on Trump over the last six years, which helped him earn bipartisan support and reelection in a blue state, have finally caught up to him. The results so far are a rebuke of Hogan by the Maryland GOP base, who also opposed his school closure lockdown policies during the pandemic. Some are also asking why Hogan spent the final days before the election campaigning for president outside of Maryland, instead of barnstorming the state with Schulz. If Hogan can't carry Republicans in his own state, his 2024 GOP primary prospects elsewhere in the country look bleak indeed at the moment.

Cox helped himself in the final weeks by pressing kitchen table issues like inflation, schools, and gas prices alongside his other popular talking points, and by giving one of his strongest speeches of the year during a tele-rally with Trump, which had a huge audience of voters and media listening. Experts are currently predicting another surge in the price of oil in October, in the closing weeks of the general election campaign. That could help Cox with independents, as could the questionable ability of President Joe Biden to give any boost to the Democratic nominee among independents by campaigning here in the fall. But Cox will face tropical-force winds from the national and local press, whose headlines are already dominated by the attacks Hogan and Schulz deployed in the primary against him.

In the Democratic race, Moore's outsider resume, energetic campaign and Oprah endorsement have boosted him statewide so far. He is currently in first place with 36.75%. Unlike the jurisdictional harmony in the GOP race, Montgomery County Democrats supported county resident Tom Perez over Moore 2 to 1, in results so far. Moore is currently is 2nd place in Montgomery County results. 

Peter Franchot has had a day almost as miserable as Hogan. Franchot was cast as the shoo-in favorite in the Democratic race years before the first vote was cast, and before Moore was even on anyone's radar. On paper, Franchot's slightly more moderate views and teamwork with Hogan made him seem to be a solid choice in a state where Republicans have a real chance to take the governor's seat every time. In the actual election, however, Franchot is a distant third currently in both county and state results.

Photo via Dan Cox for Governor