Comment on this story
Comment
Incumbent Montgomery County Executive Mark Ellrich declared victory late Saturday in a tense rematch with Potomac businessman David Blair after The Associated Press deemed the race too close to call.
His announcement came after nearly three weeks of ballot counting, with Ellrich holding an unofficial lead of 42 votes. The state election commission produced eight additional advance ballots Sunday. Four went to Elrich and four went to Blair.
“I am honored to be nominated by the Democratic Party for County Executive,” Ellrich wrote on Twitter. “I want to thank the voters. I love this county and care deeply about our residents. It has primarily been a long journey (and certainly an exciting one).”
Less than 12 hours later, Blair announced in a press release that he would request a recount. “We have made a strong statement that our community wants and deserves proactive and positive local leadership,” he said in the statement.
Under Maryland law, Blair has three days after election officials certify the results to petition for a recount. The state will conduct a free recount if the difference between the two candidates with the most votes is 0.25 percentage points or less of the vote. Elrich rose 0.03 percentage points as it claimed victory.
The Associated Press on Saturday said it would not announce a winner until election officials had certified the vote count and all potential election challenges had passed. The long wait and narrow margins reflect the previous clash between the two and their competing visions for the county.
Ellrich, an increasingly divisive figure in Montgomery politics whose approach to growth and development has drawn sharp criticism this election cycle, edged Blair by 77 votes in 2018 to secure a first term at the helm of Maryland’s most populous county .
Counting votes in that race took nearly two weeks and also resulted in a recount that changed two votes, Ellrich noted in a tweet Saturday, as people questioned whether the margin was decisive. While some congratulated him, others noted that even if the count held, he was not embraced by the majority of Democratic voters.
Ellrich said in an interview Sunday morning that he decided to claim victory because even with 34 unfilled ballots, he would still be ahead. He admitted that nothing was official but seemed confident in the results.
“A count rarely changes anything. The last time we had a recount, it changed two votes,” Ellrich said. “I feel pretty good, but nothing is a hundred percent.”
This year, term-limited County Council member Hans Riemer (D-At Large) and Gaithersburg resident Peter James also competed in the closely watched The Democratic primary, that was marked by high costs and sharp criticism among candidates eager to present themselves as effective alternatives to Elrich.
Social justice is changing the housing debate in liberal suburban Maryland
Montgomery County Democratic voters also nominated six new faces, all women, in County Council races. According to unofficial results, Laurie-Ann Sales was expected to win the nomination for the fourth at-large seat, joining incumbents Gabe Albornoz, Will Giavando and Evan Glass as Democrats on the November ballot.
Dawn Luedtke was projected to win the Democratic nomination for District 7, joining newcomers Marilyn Balcomb, Kate Stewart, Christine Mink and Natalie Fanny-Gonzalez on the ballot in their respective districts. District 3 incumbent Sydney Katz and District 1 incumbent Andrew Friedson, who ran unopposed, also won.
Observers say the narrow margin in the county executive race is a referendum on Ellrich’s policies, particularly on affordable housing, development and land use, issues that have animated the campaign. While his supporters support his cautious approach to economic growth, many county residents said Montgomery needs stronger leadership to attract business and jobs.
Much of the Montgomery business community rallied behind Blair, while Ellrich received support from dozens of unions and labor groups such as Pro-Choice Maryland and CASA in Action.
At least two super PACs emerged to influence the county executive race, one focused on affordable housing and turning votes away from Ellrich, and the other financially backed by real estate and development groups that backed Blair.
Ellrich was severely underfunded by Blair, a millionaire who, according to recent campaign finance reports, loaned his campaign $4.8 million. Elrich has raised just over $1 million through the county’s crowdfunding program, which allows candidates to receive matching funds for donations of $250 or less from county residents.
Montgomery officials finished collecting ballots Saturday afternoon, ending an unprecedented primary election cycle marked by mail-in voting, delayed results and a state law barring election officials from processing mail-in ballots until two days after the election.
While most statewide races had large enough margins to be declared weeks ago, local leaders waited patiently for results in Montgomery, the last Maryland county to finish counting ballots in the July 19 primary.
The winner in the end will face Reardon Sullivan, former head of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, in the November general election, even though the blue county hasn’t elected a Republican county executive since 1970.
Add Comment