Maryland voters turned out in high volume for today’s general election. While much of the focus was on their pick for the nation’s 45th president, plenty of others were waiting to see who will represent the state in Congress. We have your results here.
Cummings, Sarbanes and Delaney Round Out Tonight’s Winners (10:45 p.m.)
Elijah Cummings was in high spirits tonight when he introduced newly picked Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh. His smile was fitting, considering he had just won his 11th straight race to represent the 7th congressional district. His constituents here in the city and in Baltimore and Howard counties gave him 73 percent of the vote, helping him easily beat challenger Corragan Vaughn.
Here’s video of him cheerily introducing Pugh, courtesy of Konan at 92Q.
In addition to a win for Cummings, the results show incumbents John Sarbanes and John Delaney, both of whom we reported were up in the polls earlier, won their races as well. Sarbanes has locked in a sixth term, while Delaney is headed for his third.
In the end, Maryland opted to remain mostly blue, save for the incumbent Harris. A majority of the state’s voters seemed to be happy enough with their congressional representation, with six incumbent elected officials returning to their offices. Van Hollen is no newbie to Congress, but he’s a fresh face for Maryland in the Senate alongside Sen. Ben Cardin. Brown and Raskin, meanwhile, will get their first shot serving Maryland in the House of Representatives.
Former Lt. Gov. Brown Joins Raskin as New Face in Congress; Vets Ruppersberger, Hoyer Win Again (10:22 p.m.)
Seeking a change of pace from the Governor’s Office, Anthony Brown will fill the shoes of former Rep. Donna Edwards, who left her position behind to unsuccessfully pursue Sen. Mikulski’s open seat in the April primaries. The AP called his win just before 10 p.m. tonight.
Brown served as lieutenant governor alongside Martin O’Malley from 2007 to 2015, but lost in the upset election of 2014 to current Gov. Larry Hogan. Now, he’s got himself a new position serving Marylanders in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties in Maryland’s 4th congressional district.
New Member: Democrat Anthony Brown https://t.co/wr2mosEaTL pic.twitter.com/VDeSiKmIyO
— Roll Call (@rollcall) November 9, 2016
To few people’s surprise, Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger and Steny Hoyer have kept their seats as well. Ruppersberger, 70, and Hoyer, 77, both secured election victories within a couple hours after polls closed.
Maryland’s Lone Republican Rep. Cruises to Victory (10:05 p.m.)
Many around Maryland know of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris as the state’s sole Republican federal legislator. Harris represents the 1st congressional district, which comprises the Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties. He’s served there since 2011 after he beat out Democratic incumbent Frank Kratovil the year before.
As of 10 p.m., it looks like Harris will hold on to his seat for a fourth straight term. With most of his district reporting, he had two-thirds of the vote in hand. By 10:15 p.m., his win was declared official. Supporters with the Maryland Republican Party in Linthicum greeted the news with cheers tonight.
Congressman Andy Harris, right, gives the thumbs up as he enters the @mdreps Victory Party hearing Donald Trump is ahead in FLA. pic.twitter.com/WmMMKwzhqS
— Paul W. Gillespie (@pwgphoto) November 9, 2016
Three Dems Jump Out to Early Leads for House Seats (9:08 p.m.)
With Chris Van Hollen headed out of Maryland’s 8th congressional district for the Senate, American University law professor Jamie Raskin looks poised to take over where he left off. With seven percent of the votes in, Raskin is heavily projected to beat out Republican opponent Dan Cox and others for the chance to represent constituents in Montgomery, Carroll and Frederick counties in Congress.
Early results also show incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. John Delaney with a strong lead for his position in the 6th congressional district. With six percent of votes tabulated, he’s leading with 70 percent of the margin.
Baltimore’s own Rep. John Sarbanes also seems to have a strong hold on the seat he has occupied for five terms now, even with only four percent of the votes in for the 3rd district. He’s comfortably leading with 81 percent of the vote. Again, these aren’t huge surprises in our heavily Democratic state.
Chris Van Hollen Wins Outgoing Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s seat (8:15 p.m.)
Many Democrats are sad to see Sen. Barbara Mikulski go, but they will be happy to know seven-time U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen will be taking her place. Even though plenty of people are still finishing up at the polls right now, the AP called the race between him and Republican candidate Kathy Szeliga at 8 p.m. sharp. State Del. Szeliga, who represents Baltimore County and is the minority whip in the House of Delegates, won the Republican nomination in the April primary, but couldn’t manage to overcome the tide of blue support across Maryland in this year’s senatorial race. Early numbers showed Van Hollen took home a whopping 67 percent of the vote. In the end, his share was closer to 61 percent.
Szeliga had run on a campaign seeking support from those who would want an outsider, not an entrenched politician, to fill the shoes of Sen. Barbara Mikulski. However, it seems her ads featuring her riding a motorcycle and filming on an iPhone didn’t do the trick in harnessing support.
It sounds like her supporters weren’t too happy with the announcement, according to FOX45’s Jeff Abell.
Republicans erupted in chorus of ‘boo’s’ as word that AP projected VanHollen the winner of Md Senate race. pic.twitter.com/tmZZQDgvHa
— Jeff Abell (@JeffAbellFOX45) November 9, 2016
Sen. Mikulski announced in spring 2015 that she wouldn’t be seeking re-election at the end of her term next year. She has dutifully represented Maryland in Congress since 1977, and has occupied her seat in the U.S. Senate since 1987. Women around the state have been proud to call her their senator. Her departure coupled with Chris Van Hollen’s win means Maryland won’t have any women in Congress beginning in 2017, barring an upset in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District.
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