Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) was projected by the Associated Press to win the Democratic nomination for county executive Tuesday, almost certainly concluding a successful reelection bid after launching changes in education and policing and leading her county through the economic strain of the pandemic.
There are no Republican candidates for county executive. In heavily Democratic Prince George’s, the primary usually is decisive.
In contrast to her first victory in 2018, Alsobrooks was an overwhelming favorite over a field of political outsiders who never mounted a serious challenge to the former state’s attorney.
“I hope that Prince Georgians see the love, passion and hard work that I put into this job during my first term,” Alsobrooks told The Washington Post in a June interview. “I believe Prince Georgians deserve the very best and I’m determined to deliver results for them.”
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Considered a rising star in state politics, Alsobrooks opted to run for reelection instead of following encouragement from state Democrats to run for governor. She told The Post upon announcing her reelection bid that in a second term, she’d tackle inequalities in health care and the economy exposed by the pandemic, and that she wouldn’t rule out a run for a higher office in the future.
Few other races in the county were close enough to call as of Tuesday evening, when only a trickle of votes were reported in the hours after polls closed in Maryland’s primary elections. Officials had warned that most results would come days after the primary because of a Maryland law that prevents election workers from counting mail-in ballots until the Thursday after Election Day.
Alsobrooks, the only candidate in the county executive race with extensive political experience, benefited from her visibility and a war chest of more than $1 million in campaign funds.
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Sharelle Stagg, an assistant principal at Greenbelt Elementary School, said she felt none of Alsobrooks’s opponents offered platforms that set them apart, and voted for the incumbent based on her experience. She also praised the leadership of Prince George’s County schools chief Monica E. Goldson, whom Alsobrooks selected.
“I appreciate her visibility throughout the county,” said Stagg, 40. “She seems to be very transparent and also just in touch with what the residents want. So I felt comfortable reelecting her.”
As Democrats across the state determine whether the party’s more liberal or moderate candidates will succeed in a challenging midterm season, Alsobrooks won over college student Quinn Dang, 22, for her stance on police reform.
In deeply blue Prince George’s, Dang said they found that most candidates shared their concerns on social issues such as LGBTQ rights, “but one thing that’s more divisive is police reform and public safety,” they said. Dang felt Alsobrooks, who hired a reform-minded police chief last year but also spent millions fighting lawsuits from Black and Latino officers alleging discrimination, best addressed their concerns about establishing non-police public safety units.
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“[She] also seems to have the most energy and the most passion for the role,” Dang added.
Voter perspectives on Alsobrooks on Tuesday reflected a broader referendum about the direction of the county as it charts a surprising rebound after being among the regions hit hardest by the pandemic in 2020.
“I’ve met [Alsobrooks]; she seems to be very nice,” said David Dorsch, 79, a Republican voter who complained about poor road maintenance and flooding in Calvert Hills. “I’m just looking at the county overall, and to me it’s not getting better.”
Stagg said she is still concerned about crime, families with school-age children as the pandemic continues, and retaining talented teachers in Prince George’s. She said she hopes Alsobrooks can change what she worries is a negative stigma surrounding the county.
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“Some people think that there are no opportunities in the county, there’s no leadership in the county, services are subpar, but in my opinion that’s not the case,” she said. “Maybe we don’t do a good enough job of telling our own story.”
Election Day turnout was low at several polling places on a hot Tuesday, which poll workers chalked up to the delayed primary date and a high demand for mail-in voting that has persisted since the start of the pandemic.
After several Maryland counties reported poll worker shortages — last week, Prince George’s officials said they were down around 1,000 election judges — polling sites in Cheverly and College Park opened late Tuesday morning and turned away some voters who’d arrived looking to cast their ballots before the start of the workday.
College Park City Council member Stuart Adams couldn’t vote when he arrived at Ritchie Coliseum at 9 a.m. Adams said the polling site was staffed by only three poll workers when he arrived and eventually opened to voters at 9:30 a.m.
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Election judge Demetra Hutchinson said that several poll workers, including a chief election judge, assigned to the Ritchie Coliseum did not show up on Tuesday morning, but that the delay was due to a malfunction with an electronic polling book used to check in voters.
Several incumbents led in preliminary returns for the nine county council races: Edward Burroughs III, seeking to consolidate a seat he won in a special election at the start of this year, led in District 8 while council chair Calvin S. Hawkins II and Mel Franklin emerged in front of the crowded Democratic race for the council’s two at-large seats.
Others races remained too close to call. Attorneys Wanika Fisher and Victor Ramirez were neck and neck in District 2. District 7 council member Rodney C. Streeter, who faced scrutiny after missing several months of council meetings after a medical procedure in 2021, trailed activist Krystal Oriadha in a rematch of a race decided by 31 votes in 2018.
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Voters were animated about county council races at polling sites on Tuesday. Dave Waguespack, 55, and Johanna Birnir, 53, cast their votes for District 3 candidate Eric Olson, a former county council member.
“He understands the community,” Birnir said. “I think he wants people to work together to find solutions that work for everybody — schools, smart zoning, transportation.”
In the same district, Dang opted instead for Eve Shuman. As they felt about Alsobrooks, Dang was drawn to Shuman because she seemed passionate.
“She had that kind of energy,” they said. “On top of an energy, she had really specific ideas for the position, where other people might be more vague.”
Assistant Sheriff John D.B. Carr was leading the race for the Democratic nomination for the Prince George’s County sheriff, followed by private security company president Loralyn Mayo.
The other Democratic candidates for county executive were lawyer Tonya Sweat, entrepreneur Leigh Bodden, IT professional Billy Bridges and businessman Sherman Hardy.
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