Most 2024 election races were settled on Nov. 5, or soon after, but a few regional contests were so closely contested that projections were just recently announced for several Pennsylvania and Maryland offices. In Washington County, Md., ballots are still being counted, delaying official results on local races until Friday, Nov. 15, ten days after voting completed.
In Western Maryland, all eyes focused on the photo-finish between Republican Neil Parrott and Democrat April McClain Delaney for the sixth Congressional seat. Election night numbers showed both candidates earned 50 percent, with Delaney hanging on to a razor-thin advantage of 200 votes. The race was contentious in a district that favored the Democrats in the urban Frederick and Montgomery areas, and leaned toward the Republican in Maryland’s western region of Washington, Allegheny and Garrett Counties.
Location within the district was also a factor in Parrott’s argument against rival Delaney’s candidacy, as the latter doesn’t live in the sixth district, but in Potomac, Md., part of another congressional district. Parrott’s claim against Delaney as an outsider is moot since federal law only requires a congressional candidate to live in the same state of representation, not in the specific district. The two candidates swapped heated exchanges during the campaign, and that tension put increased attention on the close race.
True to form, Parrott scored decisive wins in the three western counties, taking 61 percent in Washington, 68 percent in Allegheny and 77 percent in Garrett. But Delaney won in the more populated eastern areas, scoring a 54 percent win in Frederick County, and a 70 percent total in Montgomery County. That last county proved decisive, as April McClain Delaney was projected as the winner with an overall total of 52 percent to Parrott’s 47.9 percent. Delaney won 14,000 more votes out of 351,000 cast.
Delaney’s win gives Democrats almost a clean sweep of Maryland congressional seats, which for the next congress will be represented by seven Democrats and one Republican statewide. District one’s Andy Harris is the lone conservative rep in Maryland.
In Pennsylvania, the stakes were higher as incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, ran for his fourth term. Businessman Dave McCormick ran as the conservative opponent and poured millions of campaign dollars into the race. With Casey’s name recognition, he started with an early lead, but McCormick’s steady ad blitz chipped away until the race was deemed a tossup on Election Day.
Democrats were desperately trying to hang on to a slim majority in the U.S. Senate, so the Casey/McCormick matchup was followed closely around the nation. After Republicans flipped a few seats on election night, the Pennsylvania race gathered even more scrutiny. For the first few days, as mail-in and provisional ballots were evaluated and counted, the contest was too close to call. Both candidates claimed confidence the outcome would favor their side.
McCormick ended election night with a small lead, and with current votes tallies, his advantage grew to 49.1 percent over Casey’s 48.4 percent. More than 6.7 million votes were cast for this Senate race, and the Associated Press projected McCormick as the winner by 40,000 votes. However, Casey hasn’t conceded. Calls for comment, made to several of Casey’s field offices, went straight to voicemail due to “high call volumes.”
The Republicans gained the U.S. Senate majority, and conservatives also retained control of the U.S. House, so President-elect Trump will enjoy friendly allies in Congress during at least the first half of his term.
Back in Washington County, several multi-member races were still undecided this week. Maryland Election Administrator Jared DeMarinis said the state dealt with 15 emailed bomb threats to local election boards, similar to problems that frightened election workers in several other states. While the email threats appeared to come from overseas, Maryland officials acted cautiously and conducted safety checks. DeMarinis also said the state had a record number of provisional votes cast in 2024. A local Washington County election official was hopeful official election results would be completed by Friday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.
The first race still being decided is the school board contest. Eight candidates vied for four open seats, including the current council’s top leaders. Currently, four candidates have a vote total that places them in the top four spots. Charles Burkett (26,575), Ashley McCusker (26,466), Victoria Beachley (26,342), and April Zentmeyer (25,471) all enjoy a winning, but still unofficial, advantage. The remaining contenders are a few thousand votes behind, and it’s unknown if enough ballots remain to make up their respective deficits.
Among nervous candidates trailing is the school board’s current vice president, Stan Stouffer (fifth with 22,869 votes), and Melissa Williams, Washington County school board president, who is in seventh position with 21,225 votes.
For Hagerstown’s City Council, the race was also a multi-seat race, as five positions were open among a 10-candidate field. Kristin Aleshire, with 6,082 current votes, leads the pack, with Tiara Burnett a close second earning 6,039. Both seem assured a seat on the council, as does Erika Bell with 5,108 currently tallied votes. The race for the final two council positions is between four candidates. Caroline Anderson has 4,323 votes, Sean Flaherty stands at 4,199, Mark Bell earned 4,177 to date, and Mathew Schindler recorded 4,005. The last county tallies completed this week will decide the final slate of Hagerstown’s council members.
