Atterbeary Emerges As Winner Of County Executive Office: 2026 Primary Election Update

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The 2026 primary election was held Tuesday in Howard County with winners being announced still on Wednesday.

The tables below will continue updating in real time as the state releases new vote tallies.

The Associated Press declared Vanessa Atterbeary the winner for the Democratic nomination for county executive Tuesday around 10:30 p.m. with 15,955 votes (57%). This was an open race, because Howard County Executive Calvin Ball currently is in his second four-year term and cannot run again.

Four candidates ran in the Democratic primary for the office of county executive, including two council members, Deb Jung and Liz Walsh, former state Delegate Atterbeary and businessman Bob Cockey. No Republican candidates filed for candidacy by the state deadline.

For the County Council races, the following candidates have emerged as the top vote-getters as of Wednesday morning:

• District 1 - Kevin Chin
• District 2 - Jessica Nichols
• District 3 - Christiana Rigby
• District 4 - Janssen Evelyn
• District 5 - Cat Carter

Check back for the latest vote totals, election developments and race calls. Results for all races can also be found on the Maryland Department of Elections website.

Preliminary vote tallies are as follows. The tables below will continue updating in real time as the state releases new vote tallies.

Howard County Executive

Howard County Council District 1

Howard County Council District 2

Howard County Council District 3

Howard County Council District 4

Howard County Council District 5

Results for all primary races are available on the Maryland Department of Elections website.