BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A week after Baltimore County voters went to the polls, three County Council races remained too close to call Tuesday as election officials continued counting mail-in ballots and prepared to canvass thousands of provisional ballots.
In the District 5 race, Democratic challenger Shawn McIntosh held a lead over Republican incumbent Nino Mangione as of Tuesday afternoon. The Maryland State Board of Elections showed McIntosh ahead by 865 votes.
McIntosh spent Tuesday at the Baltimore County Board of Elections as ballot counting continued. “I’m not ready to call victory yet because there are still a lot of votes to count. I am cautiously optimistic,” McIntosh said.
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Election officials said an estimated 12,000 provisional ballots are expected to be counted Thursday, a step that could still affect the outcome of the remaining close races.
McIntosh said she believes the shift in the vote totals reflects voters’ desire for change. “What it says is that they were ready for some change. I represent change in a lot of ways. I’m a Democrat. I’m woman,” she said. “I believe that the council should represent our constituents. It should be representative of who lives in the county.”
Mangione did not comment Tuesday, saying through a spokesperson that “he’s holding off on commenting until the provisional canvass on Thursday.”
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Mangione previously criticized McIntosh’s platform in an interview with FOX45 News about two weeks ago. “She’s changed her positions constantly, whenever politically convenient, whether it’s on data centers, whether or not the pay increase, whether it’s one Lutherville station, it’s just a question of judgment, a lack of accountability. And she stands for nothing,” Mangione said in an October 28 interview.
McIntosh said she will not claim victory until the results are finalized. “I’m not declaring victory. Like I said, every vote has to be counted. And I won’t declare victory until they’re certified. So every vote does count, absolutely,” she said.
Two other County Council contests — in Districts 8 and 9 — also remained too close to call Tuesday, with Democratic candidates trying to overcome Republican opponents as mail-in ballots continued to narrow margins.
All results are expected to be certified Friday.
Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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