Some MD delegates still locked in tight primary contests two days after election

For most of the candidates running for Maryland’s General Assembly, the dust is now settling after Tuesday’s primary election. But a select few are still locked in tight races two days later.

On Thursday, the state began its post-election counting of mail-in ballots. At the start of the day, nearly 208,000 ballots remained to be counted, and more ballots could still flow in. They’ll be counted so long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day.

Crystal Carpenter, who was trailing Del. Derrick Coley (D-Prince George’s) by about 115 votes as of Thursday afternoon, spoke to Maryland Matters from a State Board of Elections vote-counting site, where she was eagerly watching poll workers tear open mailed ballots for scanning.

“I’ve been really intrigued by the process, and it makes me have a newfound respect for the work that they do behind the scenes,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter said on Wednesday she was “pleasantly surprised” by the result, especially given that she could not devote as much time as she had hoped to her campaign because of a family tragedy. Her sister recently died of breast cancer at age 48, and her husband fell ill shortly thereafter.

“Some people were door-knocking, and I was sitting in the living room watching movies with my sister,” Carpenter said. “I have no regrets.”

Most members of the state legislature survived Tuesday’s primary, but a handful were unseated, including Senate Majority Leader Nancy King (D-Montgomery County), Sen. Dalya Attar (D-Baltimore City), along with Del. Frank Conaway Jr. (D-Baltimore City) and Kevin Hornberger (R-Cecil).

A few others were lagging behind in close races. Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City) sat in fourth place, 440 votes behind Chanel Branch for the third and final slot to represent District 45 in East Baltimore.

The other incumbents, Del. Jackie Addison (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Caylin Young (D-Baltimore City) are in first and second place, respectively.

Smith, who has served in the legislature since January 2019 and chairs the House Appropriations’ Education and Economic Development Subcommittee, declined to comment Thursday on the current election results.

However, she had harsh words for the senator representing District 45, Sen. Cory McCray (D-Baltimore City) who endorsed Addison, Young and Branch. Smith said that she believes McCray is mounting “an organized effort to push me out.”

“I have no problem with him, but he is willing, as a person running unopposed, to dedicate his free time to assemble a slate of people that he knows have either not had a history of being as effective as me, or not poised to be as effective,” Smith said.

McCray did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

A video posted Tuesday on Election Day by Young shows McCray urging voters to come out to support Young, Addison and Branch, “getting them across the finish line.” McCray also sported a white t-shirt with their names on it.

In one of the closest primary contests in the state, the Democratic nomination between the top two candidates for District 27A in the House of Delegates is separated by only six votes. The district incorporates portions of Prince George’s and Charles counties.

Yonelle Moore Lee, an attorney from Charles County, currently stands in first place with 1,548. Del. Darrell Odom Sr. of Prince George’s County remains in second place with 1,542 votes.

“When we say every vote counts, I am living in this moment,” Moore Lee said. “Never in my wildest dreams I thought it would have come down to this. That is how democracy works.”

Moore Lee said she and other volunteers stood outside and talked with voters for up to 13 hours during early voting “in the heat. On Election Day at multiple places, it was raining heavily. To see people who were determined to vote, first-time voters, people who had physical challenges … really, really motivated me. I’m grateful to be still in the race.”

Odom did not respond to an email and phone call for comment Thursday.

Moore Lee and Odom sought the seat in the winter, but through different circumstances.

The seat became open after Sen. Kevin Harris (D-Prince George’s, Charles and Calvert) was appointed by three Democratic central committees last year to replace former Sen. Michael Jackson and now the superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

The Prince George’s Central Committee chose Odom, but the neighboring Charles County Democrats selected Moore Lee.

Because of a tie, Gov. Wes Moore made the final decision and appointed Odom in January.

Once all votes are counted and certified, the Democratic nominee will face Republican candidate Jim Crawford, who ran unopposed, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Del. Kevin Hornberger (R- Cecil), who has served in the House of Delegates since 2015, was unseated by Derek J. Howell, an attorney and retired police officer who was backed by the far right Maryland House Freedom Caucus, and U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus in Congress.

As of Thursday afternoon, Hornberger was in third place in the three-way race, with 27% of the vote. The longtime delegate said Thursday that he felt the two challengers “ate into” his base of voters.

“I still got a lot of fight left in me, to be honest,” Hornberger said. “I still believe in our party, and I believe that this small group of people, both at the federal and state level, is trying to hijack that.”

Howell was a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus Slate, which spent about $55,000 this election cycle backing its preferred candidates.

The ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus in the House of Delegates lost a member in Del. Nick Kipke (R-Anne Arundel), who was elected Tuesday to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel). But it will gain a new member in Howell.

The Cecil County born mechanical engineer said he isn’t sure what comes next. But he didn’t rule out a continuing career in politics.

“My entire career in the legislature has been just fighting extremism on both sides, whether it’s Democrat extremism or Republican extremism,” Hornberger said. “If I’m not doing that in the legislature anymore — I’ve only got six months left — I’m sure I could find another outlet, whether it’s elected office or not, to continue that fight.”

Christine Condon covers state politics with a focus on environmental and energy issues for Maryland Matters. William J. Ford has reported for more than 25 years on local, county and state politics.

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected]. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and Twitter.