Julian Jones holds 9-to-1 cash edge over Pat Dyer in Baltimore County executive race

Julian Jones drained his coffers to win a bruising Democratic primary for Baltimore County executive, yet he maintains a sizable cash advantage over Republican Pat Dyer ahead of November’s general election, new campaign finance reports show.

Jones, a Woodstock council member seeking to become the county’s first Black male executive, reported $83,842 in the bank just over two months before Election Day. That is nearly nine times more than Dyer, the owner of an investment brokerage firm, who reported $9,444 cash on hand.

The filings cover June 8 to Aug. 18, spanning the final weeks before the June 23 primary and the summer lull that followed. They offer the first snapshot of candidates’ finances since primary voters winnowed the field for the county’s top office to Jones and Dyer.

They also show the resources each candidate is bringing into the fall, when campaigning traditionally ramps up.

Jones, a former Anne Arundel County firefighter who has served on the council since 2014, emerged from a competitive field of five candidates to win the Democratic nomination with 38% of the vote. He is the prohibitive favorite to win the general election in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2-to-1.

Tuesday’s filings show how expensive the Democratic primary became. Jones spent $799,703 over the past two months, much of it on television ads and printed campaign materials in the race’s final days. His total spending this election cycle, which began Jan. 1, 2023, has surpassed $2 million — about as much as the Democratic primary winners in Howard and Anne Arundel counties spent combined.

Jones raised $174,296 in recent months, the filings show. Among those who donated the maximum $6,000 amount were Executive Center LLC, a commercial real estate landlord; Howard Brown, a local real estate developer; and Stoler Properties LLC, which is connected to automotive dealer Len Stoler.

In the run-up to the primary, Jones received maximum donations from several real estate developers; a strip club operator; Alexander Smith, the CEO of Atlas Restaurant Group; and the campaign of Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, among others. In all, Jones has raised $1.6 million this election cycle.

“The councilman’s decisive victory in the highly contested primary was powered by voters of all backgrounds from every corner of Baltimore County,” Luca Amayo, a spokesperson for Jones’ campaign, wrote in an emailed statement. “We are confident that this growing momentum will carry him to a historic victory this November.”

Dyer, a Timonium native and political newcomer, received 65% of the vote to win the Republican primary.

He raised $21,100 over the past two months, mostly from individuals, each of whom contributed up to $500. He spent $31,234, including $6,500 on a mailer in early August.

Dyer did not respond to a phone call or text message requesting comment.

The winner of the general election will take office in December, replacing outgoing Democratic County Executive Kathy Klausmeier.