State Roundup: Wes Moore still ahead; Marilyn Mosby losing

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WES MOORE STILL AHEAD: Wes Moore held onto a comfortable lead in the race for Maryland’s Democratic nomination for governor after the first day of counting mail ballots Thursday, but Tom Perez cut more than 4,150 votes from Moore’s cushion. But for Perez to win, he must still overcome a nearly 31,000 vote gap. Emily Sullivan and Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner

• More than 142,000 Democratic mail ballots received by local elections boards remain to be reported in the race, as of midnight. The mail-in ballot canvass will continue Friday morning in the city and multiple larger counties. Josh Kurtz and Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters

HOGAN EXPECTS DEMOCRATIC SWEEP: Gov. Larry Hogan expressed grave concern about the Maryland Republican Party’s chances for victory at the ballot box this fall, saying that Tuesday’s primary results virtually guarantee a Democratic sweep in November. “We’re going to lose this seat,” Hogan said of the race for governor. “We don’t even have a campaign now.” Bruce DePuyt/Marryland Matters

MOSBY LOSING REELECTION: It is increasingly likely defense attorney Ivan Bates becomes Baltimore’s next top prosecutor as his lead in the three-way Democratic state’s attorney primary continues to grow. Bates’ lead is now 10 points over incumbent Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, with Mosby losing ground to both Bates and former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah. Election officials counted 10,000 mail-in ballots Thursday, and have at least 13,000 more to count in the coming days. There’s a possibility the number of ballots to count increases slightly. Alex Mann, Lee O. Sanderlin and Emily Opilo/Baltimore Sun

• Sun columnist Dan Rodricks says few people expected Bates to win and gives his thoughts on Wes Moore and other races.

HAIRE STILL AHEAD OF MCMILLAN: Jessica Haire maintained her lead over Herb McMillan in the primary race for the Republican nomination for Anne Arundel county executive Thursday following a daylong canvass of mail-in ballots. Haire, an Edgewater Council Council member, received 864 votes and McMillan, a former Annapolis alderman and delegate, received 651 of the more than 2,000 Republican ballots count ed. Haire has 13,185 votes (43.4%) compared with McMillan’s 12,108 (39.9%). Dana Munro, Rebecca Ritzel and Brooks DuBose/Capital Gazette

 STATE SENATE RACES: Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters does a roundup of state senate races.

PA COMMITS TO BAY CLEANUP: Pennsylvania’s commitment of $220 million to a new fund dedicated to reducing pollution flowing into state waterways could prove “a remarkable turning point” in Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, a senior official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. Sarah Vogelsong/Maryland Matters

 SYMPHONY HIRES FIRST BLACK CONDUCTOR: Jonathan Heyward is the first Black person to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the organization’s 106-year history. He signed a five-year contract that begins with the 2023-2024 season. [The symphony received substantial funding from the state and local governments.] Cody Boteler/Baltimore Banner

LOOKING FOR TEACHERS: School officials in Baltimore City and County are scrambling to fill 1,200 teaching positions before students return to the classroom Aug. 29, 2022. Officials attribute the shortage to plenty of available jobs nationwide, the pandemic, the financial challenges of getting a master’s in education, and the demands of being a teacher.  Liz Bowie and Kristen Griffith/Baltimore Banner