U.S. House of Representatives

Johnny Olszewski Jr., the two-term Democratic Baltimore County Executive, won his congressional bid to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, besting Republican Kim Klacik. Olszewski, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, won his first bid for Baltimore County executive in 2018 and clinched a second term in 2022.

State Sen. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat, also defeated Republican Robert J. Steinberger in the race for U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes’ congressional seat. Elfreth is in her second term in the Maryland Senate.

Each of Maryland’s eight U.S. House districts had elections this year for new two-year terms. All five incumbent congressional candidates won their seats, including U.S. Reps. Andy Harris, a Republican representing the Eastern Shore, and DemocratsGlenn Ivey, who represents the majority of Prince George’s County; Steny Hoyer, who represents St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties; Kweisi Mfume, who represents Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore County; and Jamie Raskin who represents Montgomery County.

Baltimore City

Mayor: Democratic Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott won re-election to a second term, beating Republican Shannon Wright. Scott becomes the first candidate elected to the mayoral post twice since Martin O’Malley, who served for two terms from 1999 to 2007.

The graduate of Merganthaler Vocational-Technical High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland was first elected mayor after serving on the city council for nine years, representing District 2, and later serving as the body’s president.

Sworn in amid the coronavirus pandemic, Scott’s administration was responsible for allocating billions of dollars of relief money while presiding over a drop in homicides and the largest mass shooting in the city’s history.

City Council president: Current District 1 Councilman Zeke Cohen, also a Democrat bested Republican candidate Emmanuel Digman to become City Council president.

Ballot Question F: City voters were projected to pass Question F, ushering forward the proposed $900 million redevelopment of the Inner Harbor.

The controversial ballot question had pitted the proposed development against park advocates who objected to plans to put office space and hundreds of new apartments in four new buildings of varying heights at the site of the once-lauded Harborplace pavilions.

Supporters, including Mayor Brandon Scott and recent previous mayors, argued the project would revitalize the area and bring new life to part of the heart of Baltimore’s downtown. Harborplace’s existing pavilions, which under the development proposal would be demolished, have aged and retail spaces now often sit vacant.

“What we need to have in Baltimore is an Inner Harbor coming back with new life, showcasing the best of Baltimore,” Scott said last year during the unveiling of development plans.

Those against the proposal deride it as giving away public park space to a developer

Ballot Question H: City voters were projected to reject the measure to slash Baltimore’s City Council from 14 to 8 districts. It’s the first election that Baltimore City voters have defeated a ballot measure since 2004, when they voted against a proposal to lower the minimum age requirement for members of the city council from 21 to 18 years.

The committee that promoted the ballot measures and gathered the necessary petition signatures to introduce it, People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, received around $400,000 for the effort from David Smith. Smith is the co-owner of The Baltimore Sun and executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns FOX45.

Baltimore County

Ballot Question A: Baltimore County voters were projected to approve a measure Tuesday that will expand their county council by two members in the coming years.

The ballot measure came after years o from county voting rights advocates, who argued that the county had rapidly expanded in population, but had failed to expand representation by allocating additional council members. The council has had seven members since 1956.

The measure will increase the council to nine members during the 2026 election cycle. It also will establish the county council as a full-time, rather than part-time, job for members. The measure was placed on the ballot by the council members, who voted for it 5-1, with one member absent, in July.

A competing measure would have increased the council by four members, but organizers failed to obtain sufficient signatures to get it onto the November ballot, despite the backing of several high-profile Democrats. County executive Johnny Olszewski endorsed the four-seat expansion effort led by the Vote4More coalition, a week before its signature collection deadline over the summer. One Republican council member, Todd Crandell, called the plan for four new council members a Democratic “power grab.”

With the measure passed, the county council will name a redistricting commission by Jan. 21, which will re-draw the district map to account for the council’s larger size. Their new map will be issued by April 30, for the council to review.

A drafted map, which was attached to the legislation that established the ballot measure, has attracted concern.

Harford County

Ballot Question A: Voters approved a ballot measure giving Harford County Council members term limits.

The measure, which was approved by the council last November to appear on county ballots, restricts members to three consecutive four-year terms as either a council member or council president.

Initially, some members of the Harford council wanted the measure to apply regardless of whether the terms were consecutive, but the council ultimately approved the limit at three consecutive terms, by a vote of 5-1, with one abstention.

Out of 51 current and former council members, council member Dion Guthrie said, 39 have served two terms or less and seven people have served four terms. Only one council member, Robert Wagner, served 20 years. He was not re-elected last year.