Updated, 11:01 a.m. Wednesday
BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The unofficial 2026 primary results are in this Wednesday, and they're showing a bit of a shake-up for Baltimore County's political landscape.
Verification of the results isn't expected to be finalized until July.
In the Democrat race for county executive, 4th District Councilmember Julian Jones continues to lead the pack with 22, 584 ballots (40.89% of the votes).
2nd District Councilmember Izzy Patoka trails Jones with 14,640 votes (26.51%).
Jones' win would mark the first time the county has elected a Black county executive.
Previously, D’Andrea L. Walker briefly served as acting county executive in 2025 after Johnny Olszewski Jr. resigned from the post after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrat Kathy Klausmeier was sworn in days later as the county's 15th county executive. She was elected by the Baltimore County Council to fill the remaining two years of Olszewski Jr.'s term.
Klausmeier is considered the first woman to serve in the role.
Related: Cox To Face Moore In Bid For Governor, Key Congress Races Called: MD Primary Results 2026
On the Republican ticket, Patrick V. Dyer was called the race winner by the Associated Press after he gained 14,402 votes (65.70% of the votes).
The 2026 race also marked a first for the County Council, as candidates were running in line with the new districting map that was approved last year.
Unlike prior years, the Council went from representing seven districts to a total of nine. The redistricting shift dates back to the early 2020s.
District 1
In the 1st District, Paul Dongarra leads the Democratic pack with 3,220 votes (54.49% of the tally), with Mandy Remmell trailing behind at 2,470 votes (40.73%)
N. Westcott, V, secured 282 votes (4.77%), the majority of which were primary Election Day ballots.
Uncontested Republican candidate Rheagan Kindle advances with 1,388 votes.
District 2
The 2nd District saw Democrat candidate Ruben Amaya take the largest share of the votes with 2,483 ballots (32.50%) and Lawrence William following closely behind with 2,477 votes (32.42%).
In third place, Danita Tolson snagged 2,128 votes (27.85%).
James Amos, who was the uncontested Republican primary candidate, tallied 731 ballots for his campaign.
District 3
Makeda Scott, the Democrat running for the 3rd District, continues to lead with a sharp advantage after gaining 2,974 votes (37.50%).
Scott is trailed by fellow challenger Linda Dorsey-Walker, who claimed 1,780 ballots (22.44% of the vote).
Uncontested Republican candidate Chike Anyanqwu advances with 499 votes.
District 4
With a sharp lead, 4th District candidate Karson B. Kamenetz gained 5,837 votes (60.24%) against Aaron Barnett's 3,852 ballots (39.76%).
Uncontested Republican candidate Gary Schuman claimed 756 votes.
District 5
The spotlight for the 5th District fell heavily on the two Republican candidates: Councilmember Nino Mangione and conservationist Theaux LeGardeur.
Mangione, who was recently elected to serve out the remainder of former Councilmember Wade Kach's term, led the primary race with 4,167 votes (75.19%)
LeGardeur clinched 1,375 ballots (24.81%).
Democrat candidate Shawn McIntosh ran unopposed and gained 4,413 votes.
District 6
In the race for the 6th District seat, both the Democrat and Republican candidates ran unopposed.
Democrat candidate Michael Ertel landed 5,178 votes against Republican Christine Vondersmith's 1,295 ballots.
District 7
In the race for the 7th District seat, both the Democrat and Republican candidates ran unopposed.
Democrat Caridad Santiago will face off against longtime Councilmember David Marks for the 7th District post.
Santiago secured 3,854 votes to Marks' 3,868 ballots.
District 8
Democrat candidate Sharonda Dillard-Huffman came out with the most votes at 1,587 ballots (49.21%). Contender Crystal Cody trailed behind with 1,068 votes (33.12%).
Uncontested Republican candidate Josh Sines advances after gaining 3,006 votes.
District 9
Democrat candidate Arkia Wade continues to hold a very narrow lead with 1,119 votes (34.64%) against Mark McCluskey's 1,069 ballots (33.10%).
Republican candidate Tim Fazenbaker maintains a strong lead against his three challengers after gaining 1,374 votes (40.57%). Candidate J.D. Urbach trails Fazenbaker with 885 votes (26.13%).
The tables below will continue updating in real time as the state releases new vote tallies.
* Note: Rob Daniels is an unaffiliated candidate who will be included in the November election.
* Note: Joseph D. "Joe" Hooe is an unaffiliated candidate who will be included in the November election.
* Note: A. Scott Pappas and Donna Eve Radtke Sekora are unaffiliated candidates who will be included in the November election.
The outcome of the races will heavily impact critical decision-making on the county's budgetary, planning and development, housing and school policies.
One of the key races in the 2026 cycle is for the county executive, which three current councilmembers — Pat Young, Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones — are competing for.
Results for all races will also be available on the Maryland Department of Elections website.
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