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Ben Jealous, a former NAACP president who led his first race in the legislative elections, largely dominated the Prince George County executive, Rushern L. Baker III, early in the race for the nomination for governor of Maryland on Tuesday after promising policies in the hope of encouraging voters to defeat Republicans at the state level and nationwide.
Four other major candidates were far in the polls, according to the first returns.
The winner of the Democratic nomination will face Governor Larry Hogan (R), in the fall general election, according to polls and analysts that it will be a difficult battle for the Democrat against an incumbent popular. Hogan, who has not been opposed to the GOP primary, has ruled as a moderate and repeatedly distanced from President Trump, who is widely disliked in Maryland.
Jealous, 45, was winning strong field selections in the Baltimore area and was doing quite well elsewhere to retain an edge over Baker and the rest of the pack. Jealous's campaign has been supported by unions, progressive national and state groups, national politicians, including US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), And major donors from outside the country. ;State.
Baker, a seasoned politician, has received the endorsement of almost all senior Democratic officials in the state. But he raised less money than Jealous and lacked support for unions that previously supported the establishment 's candidate.
In other races, Angela Alsobrooks, state prosecutor of Prince George, who had the support of the establishment, was well ahead in the race for the nomination to succeed Baker as the county director, according to the first returns.
Montgomery County Director Isiah Leggett, in the center, jokes with a governorship candidate and the Prince George County Director, Rushern L. Baker III in front of a voting booth at Leisure World in Silver Spring, Md. Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post)
Primary voters in both parties were in the process of selecting candidates for state offices, including for the county executive and all States legislative seats and Congress.
The governor's primary election was seen as a battle between the Democratic establishment and the insurgent progressives seeking to push the party to the left.
[See full Maryland primary results here]
The large number of contenders on the ballot left a lot of people overwhelmed. Many voters said that they waited until the last minute to decide who to support or skip bale racing.
Lori Steel of Kensington, a librarian at a private school, said that mounds of literature, phone calls and knocking on her door turned against her. "It has upset me and has made me a little locked up," she said after voting at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cedar Lane.
The governor candidate, Ben Jealous, meets Emily Koechlin outside the Takoma Park Recreation Center. (Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post)
Jared DeMarinis, director of the candidacy with the State Elections Council, said the mishap should not affect the governor's race, but that downward races could be affected. "There are going to be races that are too close to call even without that," he said.
[Maryland ballot glitch offers lessons in how to respond to a hack]
Because of this glitch, the Democratic State Party – which blamed Hogan for "gouging" – postponed his press conference on unity, scheduled for Wednesday morning.
"We may not have complete election results and we do not know who our candidate is tonight," party spokesman Fabion Seaton said Tuesday.
Baker, a long-time politician supported by most party leaders, was neck and neck in recent polls with Jealous, who was leading his first political campaign with the support of unions, progressive groups and national politicians, including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).
Jealous advocates liberal policies such as "Medicare for All" and a debt-free college, a platform that he says will boost voters to defeat Republicans nationally and nationally. Baker focused on his governance experience and his experience in promoting economic development and open government in Prince George.
The other main candidates are state senator Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (Montgomery); Alec Ross, a technology entrepreneur; James L. Shea, former president of Venable Law Firm; and Krishanti Vignarajah, former policy director for Michelle Obama.
Baker and Jealous had stated that they would have strong efforts to get the vote, but reporters saw relatively few campaign workers or volunteers advocating for governorship candidates at polling stations around Baltimore and in the suburbs of Washington.
At Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Doretea Burton said that she voted for Baker because of her track record in reviving the economy and reducing crime. "I think he's done a great job in our county," she said.
Barbara Crampton, 78, said that she chose Jealous because she "wanted a change in local politics that will influence national politics".
At Reginald F. Lewis High School in the north-east of Baltimore, a strongly African-American neighborhood that is key to Democratic hopes for November, Lavette and Warren Blue voted for Jealous because of his civil rights record, but they are inclined to support Hogan for a second term. . They think that he has been a firm hand on issues, including budget and schools.
"When he came in, everyone was saying" Oh no, a Republican, "said Lavette Blue." But he did not do what we expected of him. He stood up for the people. "
In the 6th race of the Congressional District, the Democratic State Del. Aruna Miller and Republican Amie Hoeber compete to succeed outgoing Republican John Delaney and break the male grip on the Maryland congressional delegation. Hoeber is the Republican favorite; Miller's most formidable opponent is David Trone, a businessman who has spent more than $ 10 million of his own money on the race.
Harriet Litras, 88, said Trone's expenses made her lose her vote.
"It just seemed a little exaggerated," she said. "I must have received 20 to 25 mailings."
In Montgomery County, six Democrats show up to succeed 12-year-old County Executive Isiah Leggett (D). Marc Elrich, General Council Member, businessman David Blair and former Rockville Mayor Rose Krasnow, were the main contenders.
Laurie Duker, 61, who runs a non-profit domestic violence organization, voted for Elrich at the Silver Spring Library. "He is one of the few County Council members who thinks in slices of more than a year," she said. "He has a great vision."
The county council's races are even tighter; Democrats are vying for four high-profile posts, three of which are vacated by term-holders.
In the race to succeed Baker as the director of Prince George County, Alsobrooks was far ahead of former congressman Donna F. Edwards, said Senator C. Muse and the other candidates.
Alsobrooks received praise from voters for its focus on preventing violence against women and children.
"There are a lot of women who really need help, so we need someone who will fight for them," said 53-year-old Mishonne Bonds, who voted at Evangel Cathedral's Upper Marlboro.
For months, the government's primary was rather a dull affair, in part because so many candidates ran and with relatively little differences on politics. All supported more spending on education and public transit, and raising the public minimum wage to $ 15 at the hour.
They also conducted a generally civilian campaign, preferring to focus their attacks on Hogan and Trump rather than on each other.
Prominent Democrats such as former US Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and former state attorney general Doug Gansler chose not to run for office.
Baker and Jealous were near the top in the first polls, along with Kevin Kamenetz, the Baltimore County Executive, whose death in early May after a heart attack scrambled the race.
Baker is well known in the populous suburb of Washington. He spent most of his career in politics, including 7½ years at the head of Prince George County and about 8½ years in the House of Representatives, and received broad support from the party establishment, including Leggett, Martin O 'Malley and US Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Baker visited polls Tuesday with O & # 39; Malley and Leggett.
Baker campaigned primarily on his record in Prince George, where he oversaw an economic development boom that included the opening of the MGM National Harbor casino. He also restored a level of integrity to the county executive's office after his predecessor, Jack B. Johnson, was convicted of corruption charges at the federal level.
But he was embarrassed by the school scandals that led to the announcement last month that his general manager of the handpicked schools would resign. He struggled to raise money and was slow to build an organization in Baltimore.
Jealous began with a base of liberal voters who supported Sanders in his unsuccessful attempt at the Democratic presidential election two years ago against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
He added the financial and organizational support of major unions, and approvals of Americans Cory Booker (DN.J.) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) And comedian Dave Chappelle, a family friend of long time.
Many senior Democratic officials were concerned that Jealous' positions were too far left to win in general elections. But Jealous and his supporters said that only an uncompromising message would attract a sufficient number of Democrats to the polls.
After Kamenetz's death, he was replaced for a period as a candidate by former Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin, who had appeared as lieutenant governor on his ticket.
But Ervin was told that state law prevented him from accessing Kamenetz's campaign money and that it would not allow ballots to be cast. reprinted. On June 13, she abandoned the race and approved Baker.
The growing racial diversity of the party was evident in the field of candidates. Baker and Jealous are both African-Americans. Only two, Shea and Ross, are white males. Madaleno is gay, and Vignarajah is a woman who immigrated from Sri Lanka as a child. All the governors of Maryland were white men.
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