By Catherine Pugh
Special to the AFRO
The morning after a primary election—whether you win or lose—can be daunting but, perhaps, mostly reflective. Candidates will ask themselves, “Did I do everything I could…put it all on the table? Did I knock on enough doors, encounter enough potential voters, explain my reasons for running clearly whether in debates, advertisements, mailers, community meetings or private receptions?”
For some, the results answer this self-evaluation. For others, they await the final counts to begin their reflections.
With two councilmen deciding to go in different directions — Kristerfer Burnett in West Baltimore retiring as representative of the 8th District and Zeke Cohen heading to the presidency of the Baltimore City Council — primary elections in those districts are too close to call.
In District 12, a seat held by Robert Stokes Sr. since 2016, he trails his challenger by 140 votes, and District 11 incumbent Eric Costello leads unexpectedly by only 25 votes, so they wait, along with former Mayor Sheila Dixon for the counting of about 13,000 mail-in ballots to give their acceptance speech or to concede.
A win can come after much struggle but a loss can hit even harder. Winning requires as much grace as losing. That was seen on the night of the primary for some of the top candidates.
“There might be some votes left to be counted but I think it is safe to say we are destined for a second term. A victory tonight means the work has just begun,” said Mayor Brandon Scott on election night. “I want to extend my thanks to former Mayor Dixon for her passion for the city and for her years of service and for her commitment to our residents and for a very, very hard-fought race. But now it’s time to turn the page. I am blessed to have another term to serve as your mayor.”
City Council President Nick Mosby pledged to help Zeke Cohen with transitioning into a position he has held since 2020. He also thanked Baltimore residents for their support on social media.
“You’ve been with me through every win and every loss, so I simply want to say, Thank You. Thank You for believing in me and allowing me the privilege of serving you,” Mosby tweeted.
Zeke Cohen, the Democratic nominee for president of the City Council, was also gracious in his win, saying, “I am grateful to Nick Mosby for his call today and for his leadership.”
Congressman David Trone, who lost to opponent County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in his bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, immediately pledged his support for Alsobrooks after his loss.
“I had an opportunity to speak to Congressman Trone; I thanked him so much for his call. I want you to know we are united in our focus to keep the Senate ‘Blue.’ I am so grateful for his support,” Alsobrooks said.
The Democrat also thanked voters. She said, “I woke up feeling grateful! Grateful for your support, for the movement we’ve built, and for this history we’re going to make.”
Alsobrooks, now the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., will face Republican nominee, former governor of Maryland Larry Hogan in the November General Election. Republicans have not won a Senate seat in Maryland since 1980.
With most of the results announced, the electorate would have awoken the morning after the primary with smiles or frowns at the outcome.
Some voters would not have played a role in that outcome having not gone to the polls because “they didn’t think they would make a difference.”
Others, however, would be pleased that their voices seemed to outweigh the influence of money on the elections through endorsements, private pacts and self-funding, suggesting that money doesn’t matter as much as people.
For example, three-term Congressman David Trone outspent Democratic nominee Angela Alsobrooks 10 to 1, injecting over $60 million of his own money into his campaign.
“Sometimes fancy slogans, lavish endorsements, overdosing commercials…don’t always matter,” said Karen Miller, public relations campaign manager and principal of Karen Miller Consulting LLC. “The public can see through plots, and sometimes good guys or ladies just win. And, if the candidate has done everything the right way and is sincere in their approach, especially in a re-election, or has a proven record of success, even if it is an uphill battle they are hard to beat.”
Voters are also much more intelligent and have more access to information than ever before. One voter Piccola Winkey said she did her research on all the candidates.
“I chose the one that I believed will get the job done,” she said.
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