Maryland’s Primary Election was held Tuesday and set the stage for the November 5, 2024 general election. Voters made their party’s selections for local, state, and national offices. While public interest in all races was evident, the Maryland Senate primary contests provoked nationwide analysis.
The first of those attention-getting races was a choice offered to the state’s Democrats between David Trone and Angela Alsobrooks for a U.S. Senate nomination. Other eyes were focused on former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a surprise entry in the Republican primary field. Many pundits predicted the ultimate winner of these two races could potentially alter the United States Senate’s balance of power.
David Trone is currently a U.S. House Representative from Maryland’s 6th District. Elected in 2018, Trone had a successful business career prior to elective office as the founder of Total Wine & More, the largest private beer, wine, and spirits retailer in the country. With ample financial resources, Trone spent an estimated $60 million on this primary Senate campaign, a level of personal financial commitment not seen before in Maryland politics.
Angela Alsobrooks is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Maryland Law School. A native Marylander, she was the first and youngest woman ever selected as State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County. Later, Alsobrooks became the first black woman in state history to be named a County Executive, also in P.G. County. Her political platform includes protecting the Chesapeake Bay, promoting beneficial programs for seniors and veterans, raising the minimum wage, and investing in economic growth.
In a race that promised to be a photo-finish, Alsobrooks pulled away from Trone, winning 54% of the vote to Trone’s 42%. “I’m proud for the opportunity to represent Maryland,” Alsobrooks said at her victory rally. She thanked her parents for the work ethic taught to her and the resources they provided for Angela’s education. Alsobrooks was also thankful for David Trone’s promised support in the upcoming campaign.
Ex-Governor Larry Hogan enjoyed continued success among Maryland’s conservative voters, winning 62% of Republican primary votes to Robin Ficker’s 30%. Hogan built on his prior success in the Governor’s Mansion- he was only the second Republican Chief Executive to win re-election in the state’s 242-year history. “They said the Hogan brand of politics was dead,” the former Governor said during a post-primary celebration speech, “but we proved them wrong tonight.”
Larry Hogan will now face Angela Alsobrooks in the fall election. She will chase another achievement in Maryland history as its first African American female Senator.
No surprises occurred in the presidential primary races as Republican Donald Trump and Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden ran away with overwhelming victories in their respective contests. Both candidates will be officially nominated by their party’s political conventions this summer.
Western Maryland’s 6th Congressional races were also decided as Democrat April McClain Delaney and Republican Neil Parrott will square off to become the next member of Maryland’s congressional delegation. Current Republican 6th Representative David Trone did not seek re-election, choosing to run for the Maryland Senate seat instead.
Republican Neil Parrott is a local businessman, with a prior background in engineering with the City of Frederick and Maryland State Highway Authority. He is currently a Delegate to Maryland’s General Assembly. Parrott advocates for free speech, 2nd Amendment rights, medical freedom for individuals, lower taxes, and safer communities.
Democrat April McClain Delaney was born in Idaho, the daughter of a potato farmer. She moved to Maryland and excelled during a 30-year career in public and private sector work. She is currently the Assistant Secretary for Communications in the Biden Administration’s Commerce Department. Her platform includes reforming a broken criminal justice system, expanded childcare access, addressing the substance abuse crisis, and policies supporting rural communities.
The race for Mayor of Hagerstown remained unchanged as two men competed in the non-partisan primary, and both those candidates will remain on the general election ballot. Bill McIntire enjoyed an early win, with 64% of the vote, while the second challenger Stephen Schutte garnered 36%. But the Mayoral vote tally will restart at zero when voters visit polls in November.
Stephen Schutte is a 38-year-old businessman and civic leader. He is currently a General Manager for Point Broadband, and President of the Washington County Free Library. The Hagerstown native is a former High School Football Captain of a celebrated undefeated team and is also involved in many local charities. He promises to bring more support to Hagerstown from county and state resources and empower success in local neighborhoods no matter their ethnic background or social standing.
Bill McIntire has also been involved in business, owning an HVAC company since 2010. He too is a Hagerstown native and active in local organizations including the Washington County Republican Central Committee and the county’s Republican Club. He is also a graduate of the esteemed Leadership of Washington County program. As Mayor, McIntire wants to improve public safety, foster economic growth, and create an environment of transparency in city government.
For Hagerstown City Council, little of note was decided during the primary as the top ten candidates will be included on the fall ballot and eleven individuals were offered for voter’s selection. Kristin Aleshire led all candidates with 16%, followed by Tiara Burnett with 12%.
A similar situation held true for Washington County’s Board of Education primary election. The eight highest voted candidates will compete in November. Top vote getters on Tuesday were Pieter Bickford with 14%, Stan Stouffer earned 13%, Melissa Williams won 12%, and Charles Burkett had 11%.
For Judge of Circuit Court 4, Kirk Downey was the unanimous choice, winning 100% of the votes tallied in both Democrat and Republican primaries.
Maryland primary voters also selected Republican and Democrat delegates to their upcoming national conventions.
Maryland has a variety of voting blocks, and this diversity is evident in Washington County. Within the county’s 101,000 registered voters, approximately 44,000 are Republicans, 31,000 are Democrats, and 24% are recorded as Independents.
Final candidates are now set for the November election, and high turnout is expected in a presidential election year. Maryland Governor Wes Moore summed up the primary season’s intensity when he championed victorious Democratic Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks. At a primary election night celebration, Moore, an army veteran said: “Tonight we won the battle, now going forward, we will win the war.”
