WASHINGTON INFORMER: Wes Moore officially made history as the first Black governor of Maryland, and one of only three elected in American history.
Moore won through strong performances in Prince George’s, Charles, Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore City and Baltimore County and a narrow victory in Anne Arundel County. In Talbot, Kent and Frederick County, Moore is currently only a few percentage points behind Cox.
Brooke Lierman is the first woman to be elected Comptroller, and the first woman to be independently elected to an executive position in Maryland.
Anthony Brown is the first Black attorney general in Maryland’s history and would be just the 11th Black attorney general in American history. All three received over 60% of the vote statewide.
There are currently 32 Democrats in the Senate and 99 in the House of Delegates. Vote-by-mail ballots are still being counted, which will affect the outcome of some close races.
There will now be as many as 34 Democrats in the State Senate if Anne Arundel Democrat Dawn Gile and former Sen. Mary-Dulany James win their respective seats. As many as 102 Democrats will be in the House of Delegates if Delegate Bagnall retains her seat, Gary Simmons wins mail-in ballots, and Brooke Grossman maintains her majority. There was already a veto-proof majority in both houses and now there is additional wiggle room in the event that legislative leadership wants to override a veto from the Governor.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen was reelected, and Glenn Ivey won his election and will be sworn into Congress early next year. All of the sitting members of Congress in Maryland were handily reelected, excluding Congressman Trone who is currently losing to Republican Delegate Neil Parrott. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski were reelected, and Republican Sen. Michael Hough defeated Frederick County Council member Jessica Fitzwater for Frederick County Executive. Anne Arundel County Executive Stewart Pittman is in a close race against Council member Jessica Haire that has not yet been called.
There were several ballot questions, all of which passed with over 60% approval. Question 1 renamed the Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, to the Maryland Supreme Court. Question 2 strengthened residency requirements for state legislators, requiring legislators to primarily live in the district which they represent. Question 3 raised the monetary floor to request a jury in a civil trial from $15,000 to $25,000. Question 4 will legalize cannabis on July 1st, 2023, and include several provisions introduced by the legislature, including community investment for impacted communities and expanding expungements. Question 5 put the powers of Howard County’s Orphan’s Court under the authority of the Circuit Court.
Among the main priorities of the incoming leadership will be funding and implementing the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations for public education in Maryland, improving the economy for working families, and utilizing the state’s nearly $2 billion budget surplus.
Photo: Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (left) speaks at the final rally for Wes Moore (right), the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, before Election Day. (Anthony Tilghman/Washington Informer)
