County Council Election Nears Certification
With most of the votes counted in the Aug. 6 special election to replace former At-Large Councilmember Mel Franklin, County Council Chair Jolene Ivey is the projected Democratic winner, with 28,723 votes.
Bowie Mayor Tim Adams trailed Ivey with 18,410 votes and South County advocate Tamara Davis Brown garnered 5,518 votes. Adams performed stronger in the second round of mail in ballots, slightly reducing Ivey’s margin of victory. Ivey will be facing Republican nominee Michael Riker in the Nov. 5 general election. Ivey is widely expected to win.
The election had over 60,000 total ballots cast in the Democratic primary and over 2,600 ballots cast in the Republican primary, roughly two-thirds of 2022 primary election voter turnout.
Provisional ballots remain to be counted. A Prince George’s County Board of Elections representative said it is expected the race will be certified by Aug. 16.
Ivey’s seat will become vacant shortly after the Nov. 5 election and multiple candidates have begun putting together campaigns for the central county district. Some of the rumored and potential candidates in the upcoming special election to replace Ivey include:
- Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh
- Board of Education Member Shayla Adams-Stafford
- Business owner LaTasha Ward
- Former County Council staffer Kendall Gray
- Former Bladensburg Mayor Walter James
- Democratic National Convention Delegate Ryan Middleton
Munyeneh has already begun soliciting campaign donations and Middleton has begun canvassing doors in the Glenn Dale area, the most northeastern section of the district.
Another potential special election may arise if County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) is elected to the Senate.
State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins, former County Executive Rushern Baker, and Ivey have all expressed interest in this seat.
* a previous story reported a turnout of over 20,000 votes cast, based on returns by 10 PM on Aug. 6.
Maryland Leaders React to Harris-Walz Ticket
Shortly after the announcement of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, their campaign continued to pick up momentum in both polling and fundraising and local leaders expressed major support of the decision.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D) both applauded Walz’s record as a veteran and a school teacher.
“I couldn’t be more excited for Vice President Harris, for Maryland, and for our country in her decision of Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate,” Alsobrooks wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “The vision that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz share is one where our freedoms are protected in the United States. It’s a vision that stands in diametric opposition to the vision of Donald Trump’s and J.D. Vance’s Republican Party.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) gave particular praise, saying that “there’s no better pick” than Walz for Vice President.
Union leader Anthony Lee Wright said this historic presidential ticket will allow union workers to “work and live with dignity.”
Congressman Glenn Ivey (D) shared his hopes for the Harris-Walz campaign in an exclusive interview with The Washington Informer.
“Hopefully the Harris-Walz campaign can mean a continuation of the positive economic developments of the Biden Administration. I hope we can continue to build out internet access, continue infrastructure expansion and repairs, lower prescription drug costs, and finish some of the works in progress of the Biden Administration,” Ivey said. “Student loan forgiveness is a big fight, protecting and expanding healthcare access, and protecting the democracy of our country is important. Trump still says he didn’t lose in 2020, that he wouldn’t acknowledge losing in 2024 and he’s a scary guy that doesn’t respect American democracy and norms.”
In the 24 hours after selecting Walz as her running mate, the Harris campaign raised $36,000,000. The month of July brought over $310 million to their campaign with many of them coming from first-time donors.
This compares to the $169 million raised for former President Trump. This fundraising advantage has allowed the Harris–Walz campaign and PACs to begin purchasing and running TV ads.
“I think collaboration and perspective are key. With their combination of skills, they will be able to bring that outstanding perspective,” said Laurel Councilmember Kyla Clark about the strengths of the Democratic presidential ticket. “They are very down to earth. They don’t mind going above and beyond to get things done, and that’s what we must do sometimes in municipalities.