POWER PURGE: 5 incumbents axed in Maryland primary

Local election boards were scheduled to finish ballot-counting Monday, and while there are still 17 days before the election is certified — with time for possible recounts after that — the few primary elections still hanging in the balance came into sharper focus.

According to vote tallies from the state Board of Elections as of 9:46 p.m. Monday, about five state legislative incumbents lost in the June 23 primary and won’t be rejoining their colleagues in Annapolis in January: Senate Majority Leader Nancy King (D-Montgomery), Sen. Dalya Attar (D-Baltimore City) and Dels. Frank Conaway Jr. (D-Baltimore City), Kevin Hornberger (R-Cecil) and Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City).

Smith stood in fourth place with 6,444 votes in the race for three delegate seats in District 45 in Baltimore City. Incumbent Democratic Dels. Jackie Addison and Caylin Young had 7,504 and 7,143 votes, respectively, while former Del. Chanel Branch had 6,750, leading Smith by 306.

Branch, the daughter of former House Majority Whip Talmadge Branch, was appointed by former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in January 2020, but finished fourth behind Addison, Smith and Young in the 2022 primary.

Smith expressed displeasure a few days after the primary, saying District 45 Sen. Cory McCray had allegedly mounted “an organized effort to push me out.”

On June 29, McCray said in a text message that he respects Smith’s service to the General Assembly and wishes her and her family “nothing but the best in the next chapter of her journey.”

But “ultimately, the voters have spoken, and I respect their decision and look forward to continuing the work with the District 45 delegation to deliver results for the neighborhoods and families we are privileged to serve.”

Smith did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

Only Democrats were on the primary ballot in District 45, but at least two candidates have filed to run in the district in November: Green Party candidate Renaud De’Aundre Brown and independent Nichole McDonald.

In one of the closest races for the General Assembly, Del. Darrell Odom Sr. (D-Prince George’s) appears to have hung on to the District 27A seat he was appointed to in January. Odom had 2,400 votes, a 277-vote lead over the 2,123 garnered by Yonelle Moore Lee, an attorney from Charles County who competed against Odom for the January appointment.

That was a reversal from early counts, that showed Moore Lee with a six-vote lead over Odom in the district, which includes portions of Prince George’s and Charles counties.

Odom did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but Moore Lee did. She conceded the race, saying she was “grateful” for the support she received.

“I’m obviously disappointed. No one runs not to win,” Moore Lee said Monday afternoon. “I’m trying to be optimistic. It wasn’t a blowout. I’m thankful for all the support I received. This is not going to be the end for me. What happens next, I’m not sure.”

Odom will face Republican candidate Jim Crawford, who ran unopposed, in the Nov. 3 general election.

In the race to replace longtime Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-Prince George’s) in District 24, real estate adviser Kevin Ford Jr. conceded Monday to Del. Tiffany Alston (D-Prince Geroge’s). Alston had 10,923 votes, or about 59% of the total, to Ford’s 7,646 votes, or 41% of the vote.

Ford said in a statement he respected the voter’s decision and congratulated Alston on securing the Democratic nomination.

“We also mutually expressed the importance of working together to move our district forward,” he said.

“Campaigns are competitive by nature, but public service requires humility, respect, and a willingness to keep the needs of the community above personal ambition. District 24 deserves leaders who can compete, shake hands, and then find ways to work together for the people we all serve,” he said.

With no Republican or unaffiliated challengers, Alston could be unchallenged in the Nov. 3 general election.

In a text message, Alston thanked voters and Benson’s “years of dedicated public service” representing the 24th District.

“As I transition into my new role, I am eager to work on the collective vision that the community and the elected leaders have to continue delivering results to the people,” she said. “Finally, it is not lost on me that I am the only woman representing our county in the Senate. I plan to continue to be a strong advocate for the rights of women and children.”

With Alston moving up, it created an opening for small business owner and community activist LaTasha Ward to claim one of three delegate seats. She finished second in the seven-candidate field running for three delegate seats in the district. Ward’s 9,794 votes trailed incumbent Del. Andrea Fletcher Harrison’s 12,212, but was well ahead of third-place Del. Derrick Coley’s 8,099.

The third time appeared to be the charm for Ward, who finished fourth in a field of 11 candidates in the district in 2018, and fourth in 2022 when she trailed Alston by just 101 votes.

Ward also threw her hat in the ring in January, when then-Del. Jazz Lewis stepped down, creating a vacancy that was filled by the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee. But the central committee ultimately nominated Coley to take the seat.

“I continue to be engaged in my community. I’m thankful for all the people who supported me in a grassroots campaign,” Ward said. “I can go in there [General Assembly] and just serve the voters.”

While there are more steps to be taken before the primary election results can be officially certified on July 23, state Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis said Monday that the process has been, and continues to be, a smooth one.

“From an election administration perspective, Primary Day was uneventful and efficient,” DeMarinis said in a statement Monday. “Maryland voting is verified, transparent and secure.”

— This article has been updated to include the general election candidates in Legislative District 45.