Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy waltzed into a lower level ballroom at the Metro Points Hotel with the swagger to match her nearly 60-point lead.
Although votes are still being counted, the race was basically over the moment initial results were released. Even the evening’s master of ceremonies, Isaac Geralds, knew that.
“This is looking like a landslide,” he said to the early arrivals and journalists waiting for the party to start.
Braveboy, 51, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for county executive, defeating four challengers with more than 70% of the vote, according to The Associated Press.
She framed her win as “a victory for the diversity of this county,” noting that her father immigrated to the U.S. from Grenada.
The former two-term state’s attorney and state delegate first won a special election in 2025 to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks.
No Republican has filed to run against Braveboy, though she is likely to face attorney Tonya Sweat, who has said she will run a long-shot bid as an independent in the general election in November. In heavily Democratic Prince George’s County, the primary election is typically decisive.
Braveboy campaigned on her first-year record, highlighting that she erased what was once a structural deficit of more than $150 million without raising taxes. Economists, however, pointed out that much of that came from an unexpected reprieve — at least temporarily — from the impact of federal job cuts under President Donald Trump in the form of higher-than-predicted income tax revenue.
Braveboy has also championed the proposed $1.4 billion Sphere music venue at National Harbor, which isn’t expected to open until 2030.
She acknowledged those economic headwinds during her first months in office, and also highlighted development along the Blue Line corridor.
“We have cranes in the air at Addison Road,” she said. “Not only are we committed to development, but we are committed to streamlining the process.”
Byron Holly, a Prince George’s resident stumping at Lamont Elementary School Tuesday evening, told The Banner he is looking forward to seeing what Braveboy will do with a full term.
“I want to give her the opportunity to put her stamp on the county,” he said. “I don’t think she’s had that opportunity.”
Braveboy will benefit from two strong allies on the County Council, Krystal Oriadha and Ed Burroughs, both of whom ran unopposed and will now begin their four-year terms.
In the weeks leading up to the primary, Braveboy’s office has overseen a public spat between the County Council and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The dispute has involved an error-riddled budget that had to be amended and has prompted a legal challenge from the commission.
Burroughs and Oriadha are at the center of the dispute and have been accused of conflicts of interest and self-dealing for allocating millions of dollars to nonprofits run by people close to them.
Holly acknowledged the backlash Braveboy has faced, some of which he attributed to issues inherited from the previous administration.
At the top of his list for the new executive to address are lowering taxes, improving public schools and improving access to quality healthcare.
“I think they’re trying to put hospitals in the region, but the quality is not there, and it’s not matching the level of taxes and what we’re paying in the county,” Holly said. “I shouldn’t have to ... go to an entirely different county to get quality healthcare.”
At-large County Council seats
Initial results Tuesday evening showed council members Jolene Ivey and Sydney Harrison leading the eight-candidate race for two at-large seats on the Prince George’s County Council.
Ivey led the field with nearly 37% of the vote; Harrison was second with 20%.
District 1
Michelle García, chief of staff to outgoing District 1 council member Thomas Dernoga, led the race to fill his seat with approximately 64% of the vote, according to the preliminary tally.
District 2
Victor Ramirez had an approximately 29-point lead over Daniel Armando Jones for the council’s District 2 seat.
District 3
Eric Olson ran unopposed.
District 4
District 4 council member Tim Adams received about 64% of the counted votes, giving him a 41-point advantage over Euniesha Davis.
District 5
District 5 council member Shayla Adams-Stafford had a sizable lead, with about 85% of the vote compared with Wynton Johnson Sr.’s 14%.
District 6
Initial results showed District 6 council member Danielle Hunter in a tight race with Joel Peebles Jr.
District 7
Krystal Oriadha ran unopposed.
District 8
Ed Burroughs ran unopposed.
District 9
Initial results showed Tamara Davis Brown in the lead with nearly 55% of the vote. Imara Crooms was a distant second with nearly 17%.
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