Baltimore County primary results point to major political shakeup

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A day after the polls have closed, thousands of mail-in ballots in Baltimore County still have not been opened. But with two main races showing double-digit leads, one political analyst says the county appears to be on the verge of a significant leadership shakeup.

“The margins are so wide,” said political analyst John Dedie. “I think it’s a done deal on both races.”

If the current results hold, Baltimore County voters will have reshaped two of the county’s most powerful offices: county executive and state’s attorney.

In the race for county executive, County Council Chair Julian Jones appeared poised to secure the Democratic nomination, putting him on track to become Baltimore County’s first Black county executive. In a county that traditionally leans Democratic in the general election, the primary could prove decisive.

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“The worst thing that happened to the Patoka campaign was the day Kelly Madigan left to go to Howard County,” said Dedie.

Dedie says one of the major issues hanging over that race was the county’s Inspector General controversy — including the departure of former Inspector General Kelly Madigan and the clash between her office and county leadership. Jones was among Madigan’s most vocal critics. Dedie says if Jones wins, one of the first major tests of his leadership will be how he handles the future of that office.

“I think he’s going to have to really go for a top person for this type of job, and give people the sense that this is an independent person,” Dedie said, “Because we’ve seen what’s happened in Baltimore City, where Inspector General Cumming is getting harassed by the mayor.”

Meanwhile, in the state’s attorney race, an apparent victory by Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David marks the end of an era to Scott Shellenberger’s decades in office. Transitioning from an old school law-and-order approach to promises of modernizing data strategies and better communication with victims and the public.

“I think it is fair to say that outside special interests had a big role in electing Sarah David,” said Dedie.

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Dedie notes a national political group, with finical ties to progressive billionaire Geroge Soros, spent more than $1 million on mailers and commercials backing David’s campaign. But he says the question now isn’t how she won, it’s what kind of prosecutor she will be.

“Does she become a prosecutor in a sense, as far as putting people behind bars? Or the great fear I think a lot of people have is, is this going to be a situation where she parallels, because of the people that backed her, the Marilyn Mosby policies in Baltimore City, and if she does that, she’ll be a one-term state’s attorney,” said Dedie.

Looking back, David previously served as a prosecutor under former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, but later resigned amid internal fallout over Mosby’s handling of the Freddie Gray cases. Dedie says David’s success, if elected, will ultimately be judged by how she handles major prosecutions moving forward.

“Are there convictions? Do people feel safer in Baltimore County when she’s in charge over the next four years?” said Diede.

FOX45 reached out repeatedly to the Baltimore County Board of Elections by phone and email throughout the day for an update on the remaining mail-in ballots but had not received a response as of the time this article was published.