Recount Confirms Howard County District 1 Democratic Nominee

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A recount in Howard County has reportedly confirmed that Liz Walsh edged out the incumbent in the District 1 Democratic primary. District 1 includes parts of Ellicott City, Elkridge and Hanover.

Liz Walsh — an Ellicott City resident, civil engineer, construction lawyer and mother of two young children — had two more votes than incumbent Councilman Jon Weinstein in the initial count following the June 26 primary.

Walsh's lead grew to six votes after the votes were recounted this week in Columbia, according to the Howard County Times.

"...I've never been part of an election this close," Howard County Board of Elections Director Guy Mickley, who has been working in elections for 22 years, told WTOP.

Weinstein thanked his supporters in what was an "historically close election," he wrote in an email to them dated Saturday, July 14.

"The election and recount process worked as designed, to count and confirm every vote, and the results show that I did not prevail in the primary. I called Liz Walsh to offer my congratulations on her primary win," Weinstein wrote.

Walsh said that she was "honored and humbled" to be the District 1 Democratic nominee.

"There will be a proper time to reflect on this outcome, but for now my thoughts are for the future of District 1 and Howard County, especially Ellicott City’s recovery and rebuilding," Weinstein wrote. "There are many challenges and opportunities ahead for our County and its community and elected officials. My sincere hope, as it has been my intent throughout my term, that we can all work together to achieve the best outcomes for as many people as possible."

See the full letter from Weinstein at the bottom of the article.

Howard County was not the only jurisdiction where election officials re-tallied the votes following a request by a candidate in a close race.

In Baltimore County, votes were recounted after two Democrats came within nine votes of one another in the contest for the county executive nomination. The disparity grew to 17 votes, with former state Delegate John Olszewski Jr. narrowly beating Senator Jim Brochin for the Democratic nomination there.

In Montgomery County, a recount may be requested Monday in the county executive contest after two Democrats — health care executive David Blair and County Councilman Marc Elrich — were within 100 votes.

The 2018 general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Republican candidate for District 1 Raj Kathuria, who was uncontested in the District 1 primary, will face Walsh in the upcoming election in Howard County.

RELATED:

• Recount Requested In Howard County Council Race: Report
• Winner Emerges In Baltimore County Executive Democratic Primary
• Recount 'Likely' In Montgomery County Exec Primary: Report

Here is the letter Councilman Jon Weinstein emailed to his supporters on Saturday, July 14:

"I want to begin by thanking all my volunteers, supporters, and most importantly my family for their unwavering support throughout my term and during the incredibly and historically close primary election. Also, I could not have been as effective in my role without my incredible team – Gary, Jessie, and Roz – and the Council staff.

"The election and recount process worked as designed, to count and confirm every vote, and the results show that I did not prevail in the primary. I called Liz Walsh to offer my congratulations on her primary win.

"There will be a proper time to reflect on this outcome, but for now my thoughts are for the future of District 1 and Howard County, especially Ellicott City’s recovery and rebuilding. There are many challenges and opportunities ahead for our County and its community and elected officials. My sincere hope, as it has been my intent throughout my term, that we can all work together to achieve the best outcomes for as many people as possible.

"When I was sworn in on December 1, 2014, I shared the following John F. Kennedy quote from a 1958 speech he delivered in Baltimore. “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” I was elected to serve all the people in District 1 and used Kennedy’s wisdom to guide my actions throughout my term and will do so for the remainder. I’m hopeful that this approach, along with the civil and constructive dialogue it requires, is the basis for the actions of Howard County’s community members and our elected leaders during this election and in our daily interaction.

"Serving District 1 and Howard County on the Council has been an amazing honor as has working with so many great people during my tenure. Thank you."

Image via Shutterstock.