Rain, apathy, routine: Maryland’s meh primary election

Maybe it was the rain. Or the lack of a marquee statewide race. But Maryland’s primary elections this year weren’t as compelling — for voters or observers — as 2024 or 2022.

Sure, there were a few upsets and nail-biter races. But incumbents mostly won and the voting experience was largely drama-free.

“For the most part, it was a boring, status quo primary,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College who teaches a course in Maryland politics.

Frankly, not that many people even voted.

Through early voting, Election Day and the first round of mail balloting, turnout was less than 20% of eligible voters. Although that number will rise as provisional ballots and the final mail ballots are counted, it appears unlikely to match the 2022 primary turnout of 27%.

The 2022 primary election featured highly competitive contests for governor on the Republican side and the Democratic side. Democrat Wes Moore and Republican Dan Cox emerged the winners.

This year did not have similar contests.

Moore faced only token opposition and had to spend little time or money campaigning. Cox fended off businessman and soccer team owner Ed Hale Sr., after both men ran low-budget, low-energy campaigns.

So now we’re headed for a rematch, and it seems voters weren’t excited to see this sequel.

There were plenty of TV ads and mailers in the Washington suburbs and Southern Maryland, thanks to two competitive Democratic primaries for Congress. But no upset came through, as front-runner Adrian Boafo prevailed in the 5th Congressional District and incumbent Rep. April McClain Delaney held on in the 6th.

New York held primary elections Tuesday that drew much more attention. Three Congressional candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their Democratic primaries, leading pundits to wonder if there is a leftward shift in that party.

There wasn’t quite that much drama in Maryland, but Eberly noted there is perhaps some anti-establishment or growing progressive sentiment among Democrats.

Why else, he posited, would Senate President Bill Ferguson have faced a spirited challenge in his Baltimore district or Senate Majority Leader Nancy King be toppled? Both of their opponents came at them from the political left.

“Nancy King doesn’t lose renomination without there being some sort of undercurrent,” Eberly said. “Ferguson doesn’t only win by about 12 points unless there’s something going on.”

Still, that kind of voter discontent happened “just here and there,” Eberly said.

Election Day voters interviewed by The Banner offered a range of reasons for voting, from concerns about data centers to housing development to national politics.

Sandy Paris, who voted at Pimlico Elementary in Baltimore, said no candidates had energized her to vote, adding they felt “like same old, same old.”

Kenneth Steurman voted against Moore in the Democratic primary because he thought fees, particularly vehicle registration fees, had climbed too high in the governor’s first term. He was not enthusiastic for his local Baltimore County picks, Izzy Patoka for county executive and Sarah David for state’s attorney.

National issues and the Trump administration weighed heavily on some voters.

Consuelo Little, who voted at Jessup Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, said at times it’s hard to believe we’re living in the U.S. and not a third world country. Given corruption and “everything going on,” the 58-year-old said, “it’s scary.”

“I just hope things get better,” she said, “because it’s crazy right now.”

Long-shot congressional candidate Dave Sundberg, “a former fed who was pushed out in a political purge,” was stationed at a school near Fort George G. Meade, hoping to speak to federal workers heading to vote.

After knocking on thousands of doors during the campaign, his impression of voters is that “people are really discouraged.” Still, he found it “frankly inspiring” to see people exercising their right to vote.

Through Friday’s ballot counting, Sundberg was 10th out of about two dozen candidates in the 5th Congressional District’s Democratic primary.

For some, voting came down to a matter of civic duty more than any specific candidate or issue.

“We are lucky to live in a place where our voices can be heard,” said first-time Republican voter Reese Udler, who cast her ballot at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. “You shouldn’t throw away your vote.”

Banner reporters Wesley Case, Hayes Gardner, Erin Pacious and Julie Scharper contributed to this article.