ELRICH DECLARES VICTORY; BLAIR, DOWN BY 42 VOTES, TO SEEK RECOUNT: Incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich declared victory late Saturday in a tight rematch with Potomac businessman David Blair, after the Associated Press deemed the contest too close to call. Karina Elwood/The Washington Post.
- Blair will request a recount in the race for Montgomery County executive, after another round of ballot counting on Saturday showed him down 42 votes to incumbent Marc Elrich. There are 34 ballots remaining to be reported, county elections officials said Saturday night. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
- Elrich and David Blair remained deadlocked in a race for Montgomery County executive that the Associated Press deemed too close to call Saturday as more than two weeks of vote counting neared an end. Karina Elwood/The Washington Post.
- Ballot counting will continue — and could conclude — Saturday in Montgomery County. After canvassers counted nearly 5,000 ballots on Friday, County Executive Marc Elrich (D) led challenger David Blair by 198 votes in the Democratic primary for county executive. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
- With 34 ballots outstanding, incumbent Marc Elrich appears to have beaten challenger David Blair in the Democratic primary for county executive. Elrich led by 42 votes after canvassers tallied provisional votes Saturday. Julie Rasicot and Steve Bohnel/Bethesda Beat.
EHRLICH TO FOCUS ON FUND-RAISING FOR GOP CANDIDATES: Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich said his job is to be “the unity guy” as the Maryland GOP tries to make headway in the general election. But he made it clear he views his role to be somewhat narrow. He said he will not be popping up on the local news, handling post-debate spin room duties, or serving as an ambassador for the controversial duo at the top of the GOP ticket. Rather, he said, he intends to dedicate the bulk of his time to fundraising for GOP candidates up and down the ballot. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
OPINION: COX PICKS A QUESTIONABLE CAMPAIGN MANAGER: GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox has hired a new campaign manager is Zach Werrell, best known for being the architect of Dave Brat’s upset victory over then-House Minority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia in 2014. He managed a few other campaigns, though none notable, although he was campaign manager of anti-Trump Congressman Denver Riggleman’s brief campaign for governor of Virginia in 2017. One national political consultant said that he was not impressed with Cox hiring Werrell. “Dave Brat didn’t bring him back for a reason. He’s known to be a joke within the industry.” Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
OPINION: PEROUTKA WOULD NOT ENFORCE LAWS: If by some tragic fluke right-winger Michael Peroutka ended up as attorney general, he would have little interest in enforcing environmental laws. Under the headline: Unlawful Acts Of Congress Are Not Binding On Your County, Peroutka writes that the Clean Water Act “is not law. In fact it is null and void and of no effect…. There is no reason, therefore, for the State of Maryland or for the County of Anne Arundel to comply with any standards or requirements published by the Environmental Protection Agencyor any other federal agency or department.” Dan Rodricks/DanRodricks.com
SNAP BENEFITS USERS DROP: Nearly one in five Marylanders participating in a federal food assistance program dropped from the rolls between March and May, according to online Maryland Department of Human Services data. Brendoa Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
OPINION: BARRY GLASSMAN’s TIME? The odds definitely favor Brooke Lierman (D), the Baltimore City delegate, in the general election for comptroller this fall. Lierman’s Republican opponent, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, is the most solid and qualified GOP nominee in several generations. He’s well known and well liked in Maryland political circles. But all that could be blotted out by the turn the state Republican Party has taken this election, nominating seemingly unelectable candidates for governor and attorney general. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
PUPPY SELLER, STATE REACH AGREEMENT: Attorney General Brian Frosh announced Friday that his Consumer Protection Division reached a settlement with online puppy retailer Maryland Puppies Online LLC that bans the company from selling dogs in the state. Cassidy Jensen/The Baltimore Sun.
- The company agreed to pay for veterinary care or refund customers who bought dogs with certain medical conditions since January 2020, when Maryland’s No More Puppy Mills Act took effect. Maryland Puppies Online must also pay a civil penalty of $75,000, which would jump to $250,000 if the conditions of the settlement are violated. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record.
PROSECUTORS, MOSBY LAWYERS CONTINUE TO FIGHT: Federal prosecutors and lawyers for State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby continue to clash in the latest round of legal filings in the criminal case against Baltimore’s top prosecutor. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER GOP DELEGATE CANDIDATE SUES COUPLE: St. Leonard resident and local business owner Kevin Merillat’s campaign for the House of Delegates came up short in the recent Republican primary. However, his effort to defend his reputation is just getting started. On July 6, Merillat filed a lawsuit against a Lusby couple seeking $1 million in compensatory and punitive damages for alleged statements made on social media this past May accusing him of a being a racist. Marty Madden/Southern Maryland News.
MAN ARRESTED ON HATE CRIMES CHARGES: Anne Arundel County police arrested a 66-year-old man on multiple hate crimes charges after racist graffiti was discovered at a Gambrills church earlier this week. The graffiti discovered at Kingdom Celebration Center on Wednesday night followed a similar incident last month, when a racist slur was found on the church’s doors before a food distribution one morning. Dan Belson/The Capital Gazette.
DESPITE ALLEGATIONS, MAN MOVED FROM ARMY POSTINGS: A former police chief was able to move between postings at U.S. Army bases, including Aberdeen Proving Ground, despite allegations that he sexually harassed women at one base and that his poor behavior may have played a role in a co-worker’s suicide, according to Army documents obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal. Staff/The Associated Press.
CONFEDERATE STREAMERS LIKELY TO BE REMOVED FROM STORIED DUNDALK BATTALION: A national Naming Commission tasked with reconsidering Confederate ties among the names of U.S. military installations and symbols is on the verge of eliminating the place of honor for Confederate symbols allowed to units such as the fabled Dundalk-based 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment (5th Maryland), better known simply as the 175th Infantry Regiment, of the Maryland Army National Guard, some of whose members served the Confederacy during the Civil War. Jonathan Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
MAN WHO OVERSAW GROWTH AT PG COMMUNITY COLLEGE DIES AT 92: Robert I. Bickford, who led Prince George’s Community College for 27 years, overseeing its growth into one of the county’s major centers of professional training and educational advancement, died Aug. 3 at his home in Bowie. He was 92. Emily Langer/The Washington Post.
FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER DIES AT 76: Dr. Michael V. Johnston, former chief medical officer and executive vice president at the Kennedy Krieger Institute who enjoyed sailing summers in Maine, died of pancreatic cancer July 30 at his home in The Orchards neighborhood of North Baltimore. He was 76. Fred Rasmussen/The Baltimore Sun.