Category Archives: Local Elections
Elections 2018: District 9
Senate District 9
Incumbent: Gail Bates (R)
Filed Challengers: none
Projection: Lean R Hold
Past Results:
2014: Gail Bates (R) 65.8%, Ryan Frederic (D) 34.1%
2010: Allan Kittleman (R) 66.7%, Jim Adams (D) 33.2%
Freshman Senator Gail Bates (R)
Who could run?
- Ryan Frederic – Business owner Ryan Frederic of Glenwood came up short in a very good year for Republicans. There’s always a learning curve to campaigns, and rookie candidates like Frederic can often learn from their mistakes and make a much better showing the second time around. For what it’s worth, Frederic has kept his campaign account open.
- Jon Weinstein – County Councilman from District 1 Jon Weinstein is popular in Ellicott City, which means it’s much more likely that he’ll seek re-election rather than try to make the risky jump to a contested State Senate seat. Still, he is the biggest name Democrats can hope to draw here.
- Tom Coale – The man behind the blog HoCo Rising and the podcast Elevate Maryland might give it a shot. He ran for Delegate from 9B in 2014, winning the Democratic primary convincingly but narrowly losing to former Republican delegate Bob Flanagan in the biggest upset (to me, at least) of the year. From reading his blog, he certainly seems to have his finger on the pulse of Howard County as a whole, but the risk of running in this traditionally Republican district may discourage him from filing.
Here is one of a handful of districts that have been trending in the Democrats’ favor. While Larry Hogan crushed District 9 in 2014, winning 69-29% among Election Day voters, Donald Trump barely managed 50% in this well-educated and quickly suburbanizing district in western Howard County and southern Carroll County. If Democrats want to do more in 2018 than just play defense, which they absolutely must, then they should focus on districts like this one.
House District 9A – 2 members
Incumbents: Trent Kittleman (R), Warren E. Miller (R)
Filed Challengers: none
Projection: Likely R Hold
Past Results:
2014: Trent Kittleman (R) 37.5%, Warren E. Miller (R) 33.1%, Walter E. Carson (D) 15.6%, James Ward Morrow (D) 13.7%
2010: Gail Bates (R) 30.6%, Warren E. Miller (R) 28.0%, Maryann Maher (D) 21.5%, Jonathan Weinstein (D) 19.9%
Del. Warren Miller (R)
The only way Democrats are going to have a chance in District 9 is to improve their performance in the two-member District 9A, which is heavily Republican thanks to rural west county, Sykesville, and Eldersburg. Larry Hogan won here 74-25%, and Trump won 55-38%. Those Trump numbers should put 9A in play for some adventurous Democrats who have deep ties to their communities and are willing to run vigorous campaigns; 17-point margins are being erased all over the country as the President’s popularity continues to plummet.
House District 9B – 1 member
Incumbent: Bob Flanagan (R)
Filed Challengers: Daniel Medinger (D)
Projection: Likely D+1
Past Results:
2014: Bob Flanagan (R) 54.9%, Tom Coale (D) 45.1%
Delegate Bob Flanagan (R)
In 2014, I predicted a Democratic pickup here. Even with a well-funded candidate and a new district that looked favorable to Democrats, it just didn’t happen. That year was also an unusually good year for Republicans nationwide, and it’s looking like 2018 will be just the opposite. While Larry Hogan won here 57-41%, Hillary Clinton won 57-37%, and progressives in Ellicott City are fired up.
Far-Right Conservative Candidate Inches Closer to Primary Win in AAC-5
Michael Peroutka
With the provisional ballots counted, Michael Anthony Peroutka has increased his lead over Maureen Carr-York to 38 votes. The two are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed Councilman Dick Ladd in Anne Arundel’s fifth council district. Ladd was defeated in his bid for re-election, coming in third place and 434 votes behind Peroutka.
District 5 includes Arnold, Cape St. Claire, Millersville, and Severna Park.
Peroutka ran for President in 2004 on the Constitution Party ticket, where his campaign pledges included a “return to a Republic of Sovereign States based on Biblical principles.” Peroutka also sits on the board of the League of the South, a neo-Confederate movement which advocates for the secession of southern states, a “society dominated by European Americans,” and has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Peroutka also heads the ultra-conservative Institute on the Constitution (IOTC), which insists that our Founding Fathers intended America to be a Christian nation ruled by Biblical principles, and advocates a return to those principles.
Peroutka also appears to have won a seat on the county’s Republican Central Committee (RCC), the governing body of the local Republican Party.
AAC Local Election Results (from Maryland State Board of Elections)
Victories for Progress on Election Day
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Because of your hard work and generous donations of time and money, we can spend the next four years moving forward. Keep watching this site, though, because we don’t plan to take a rest before 2014 rolls around. Improving Baltimore has to be a constant process.
Other than President Barack Obama and Senator Ben Cardin’s victories on Tuesday, here are the results from several other important local votes:
Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District:
Dutch Ruppersberger (D-inc) – 65.6%
Nancy Jacobs (R) – 31.1%
Leo Wayne Dymowski (L) – 3.2%
Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District:
John Sarbanes (D-inc) – 66.8%
Eric Delano Knowles (R) – 29.6%
Paul W. Drgos, Jr. (L) – 3.4%
Maryland’s 6th Congressional District:
John Delaney (D) – 58.8%
Roscoe Bartlett (R-inc) – 37.9%
Nickolaus Mueller (L) – 3.2%
Maryland’s 7th Congressional District:
Elijah Cummings (D-inc) – 76.5%
Frank Mirabile (R) – 20.8%
Ronald M. Owens-Bey (L) – 2.5%
State Question 4 (DREAM Act):
FOR – 58.9%
AGAINST – 41.1%
State Question 6 (Marriage Equality):
FOR – 52.4%
AGAINST – 47.6%
State Question 7 (Expanded Gaming):
FOR – 51.9%
AGAINST – 48.1%
Baltimore City Question K (Move city elections to Presidential election year):
FOR – 77.3%
AGAINST – 22.7%
Anne Arundel County Question B (Removal of County Executives):
FOR – 89.8%
AGAINST – 10.2%
Source: MD State Board of Elections
Vote FOR K on Election Day
Sure, it sounds cheesy: “Vote for K on Election Day!”
But Question K is no joke. Neither was the turnout for the 2011 mayoral election: only 23% of registered voters showed up at the polls.
Question K is a solution: rather than have city elections in an odd year, move them to a Presidential election year. That way, more people who would have come out to vote anyway will vote for Mayor and City Council.
Here is the text of Question K straight from the Board of Elections website:
We urge you to help make democratic process easier for hundreds of thousands of people by voting FOR this simple ballot question. It’s the first step towards our city’s future.
Both Charter Amendments Pass
Both Charter Amendments on the ballot Election Day have passed. These are unofficial results.
QUESTION A – Nonlapsing Funds for Quality Schools – Reinvesting in Our Youth
For 38,040 86.9%
Against 5,727 13.1%
QUESTION B – City Council – Age Requirements
For 33,790 74.3%
Against 11,710 25.7%
Mayor Wins Re-Election
Incumbent Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake won her first full term in a landslide victory last night. Democrats swept all city offices in a heavily blue city. However, turnout was only 13.28%.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Official Photograph
After a dramatic set of primary elections, there were few surprises in the general election. In District 7, there were more write-in votes than Republican votes. In District 13, a dedicated write-in campaign for Democrat Shannon Sneed limited Warren Branch to barely over 50% of the vote.
