Braveboy projected to easily claim Prince George's County executive seat
It's still unofficial, but with 89% of the vote in early returns there's little doubt: Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy is likely the next county executive.
Braveboy, standing beside her parents, and sporting matching outfits with her boyfriend, Will Anderson, told a crowd of several hundred people at an election night watch party at SoBe Restaurant and Lounge in Seabrook that her victory represents unity for Maryland's second-largest jurisdiction.
'This is the first time in a very long time that we have a united executive and legislative branch,' Braveboy, 50, said. 'Everyone who has been elected to serve, we have all agreed that we are going to work together to serve you and not ourselves.'
One of the first priorities in the office, Braveboy said, is simply cleaning up the county.
'Your roadways, the trees that need to be trimmed, the hedges that need to be cut back, the grass that needs to be mowed,' she said. 'I will prioritize that because this county should look as beautiful as the people in this room.'
According to election returns from the county's special general election, as of 10:41 p.m. Tuesday night, the Democrat had received 27,505 or 89% of the votes, against her Republican opponent Jonathan White, who garnered 3,024, or 10%. There are still thousands of votes to count — more than 62,000 ballots had been cast by last Thursday in early voting — but Braveboy backers were confident declaring victory.
Among those to celebrate and congratulate Braveboy's victory was Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), the first person to declare an early victory.
'We got a new leader in Prince George's County,' Brown said. 'We got a county executive who's going to be focused on public safety, public education, public health and economic development opportunity. The people of Prince George's County [have] spoken tonight.'
Some of the others to congratulate Braveboy included Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel), County Council Chair Edward Burroughs III (D) and former Del. Darryl Barnes.
A few remarks even came from one of Braveboy's special primary election opponents, At-Large Councilmember Calvin Hawkins.
'Most of you in this room, if not all of you, supported her to be the next county executive. I was one of those that thought I should be the county executive,' Hawkins said. 'Aisha Braveboy, tonight belongs to you and Prince George's County.'
Braveboy's Republican opponent, White, 51, a retired Air Force veteran, said in an email less than five hours before the polls closed Tuesday that he sought the executive position because 'people are tired of promises that never turn into progress.'
'I understand that Prince George's County has long been a Democratic stronghold, and I respect the history and values that many residents associate with that affiliation,' he said. 'But I believe voters are ready to look beyond party labels, especially when the issues affecting our communities are getting worse, not better.'
But the voters overwhelmingly chose Braveboy to fill out the remaining two-year term of former County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who stepped down in December to take her U.S. Senate seat.
Besides the voters, Braveboy had the state's biggest cheerleader to back her: Gov. Wes Moore (D).
The state's attorney won in a crowded special primary election among nine Democrats, including Hawkins, who was endorsed by Alsobrooks, and former County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, who had the endorsement of state treasurer and county resident Dereck Davis (D).
The county's chief administrative officer, Tara H. Jackson, who has been acting county executive since Alsobrooks stepped down, chose not to seek the seat.
In terms of working with the County Council, three council members backed Braveboy's candidacy: Burroughs, Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha and Councilmember Wala Blegay.
Voters in Tuesday's special election also chose another Braveboy supporter for a council seat: former school board member Shayla Adams-Stafford, received 2,583, or 92% of the votes against GOP challenger Fred Price Jr., who received 189, or 7% of the votes in the special election for an open District 5 council seat.
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Adams-Stafford will fill the seat vacated last year by Councilmember Jolene Ivey, who won an at-large seat and then briefly sought the Democratic nomination in the county executive race. She withdrew her candidacy, but still came in fourth place. By withdrawing, Ivey spared county residents the prospect of another special election for her at-large council seat.
Adams-Stafford will represent the area that includes Cheverly, Colmar Manor and Glenarden.
'We are in a challenging position when it comes to several of the large projects we were hoping would stay in the county,' Adams-Stafford said in an interview at SoBe Restaurant. 'Having a unified voice, or a cohesive voice around these projects from members of the council and the county executive, I think that really helps our position when we're looking outward to bring business here and to bring new ideas here.'
The county's Board of Elections is scheduled to have votes certified by June 13. Swearing-in of the new county executive and new council member is scheduled for June 19, the federal holiday of Juneteenth, also observed by the state and county, when government offices will be closed.
Braveboy's selection ends this year's special primary and general elections that cost about $4.2 million, or $2.1 million each.
But her selection by voters won't cost taxpayers anything because the county's circuit court judges will select a replacement to serve out the remaining two years of her term.
One person interested in the state's attorney position is County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D), who worked as a prosecutor in the state's attorney's office in 2017 and then served as a state delegate from January 2019 to December 2022.
'You can't live out your best dreams, or the things you want from your family or yourself or your business, without having safety and justice,' Fisher, who turns 37 this month, said in an interview Tuesday. 'I really am excited to get my hands fully engaged in what that office has to do with when it comes to our criminal justice system and making sure that Prince Georgians are protected.'
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