Lierman named winner in Democratic primary for comptroller over Adams
Maryland state Del. Brooke Lierman appeared to secure the Democratic nomination for state comptroller on Tuesday night, leading Bowie Mayor Tim Adams by more than 95,000 votes.
Lierman, a delegate who’s represented the city of Baltimore since 2015, had amassed 64% of the vote with 95% of Election Day precincts and all early voting centers reporting results around midnight.
She was projected as winner of the contest by the Associated Press on Tuesday night, and later declared victory in a series of tweets.
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“Tonight we are one big step closer to building a better Maryland, together. Eighteen months ago I had a vision of running a truly grassroots campaign that would meet people where they are — from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore and everywhere in between,” Lierman tweeted.
Her statement went on to say that “Mayor Adams is an important Maryland leader and I’m grateful to know him better. Our state is stronger because of the business he built and the city he leads.”
If elected in November, Lierman will become the first woman to hold the position in state history.
“The work does not end tonight, we’re going to count those ballots and then we’re going to knock on doors in August, September, October and November. We’re going to break a glass ceiling in November!” she said at a joyous election night party in Baltimore.
On the campaign trail, Lierman has pitched the tax collectors’ office as a way to guide more equitable and climate-conscious statewide policies. Lierman has also pledged to use the comptroller’s seat on Maryland’s powerful Board of Public Works to more strictly enforce rules to encourage state contracts with businesses owned by women and people of color, and to make state procurement more competitive by cutting back on single-bid contracts.
The competitive Democratic comptroller race came after incumbent Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who has held the office since 2007, embarked on a gubernatorial bid. With the retirements of longtime state Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Attorney General Brian Frosh, as well as Franchot’s trailing returns in the governor’s race, top positions in Maryland government will undergo a dramatic shift after the general election in November.
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman ran unopposed in the Republican primary for comptroller.
Tuesday night’s election results are not final. There are more than 168,000 Democratic mail-in ballots in Maryland that have not been counted; the process to tally those votes will begin on Thursday.
Danielle E. Gaines
Contributor
Danielle Gaines worked for Maryland Matters from September 2018 to January 2024. She covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position, ultimately serving as editor-in-chief for nearly three years. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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