Too close to call: Tight race for Montgomery County executive as primary results still being counted

By Abigail Constantino

It’s been almost two weeks since the Maryland primary election but the Democratic race for Montgomery County executive is still too close to call.

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After more votes were counted Monday, incumbent Marc Elrich is narrowly leading at 39.29% with 49,804 votes over challenger David Blair, who trails at 39.2% and 49,684 votes — a 120-vote margin.

It’s a repeat of the showdown between the two candidates four years ago, when Elrich beat Blair by only 77 votes.

Thousands of mail-in ballots are still being counted in the county. The Maryland State Board of Elections sent a total of 115,268 mail-in ballots and has received 74,914 as of Sunday.

Friday was the last day that boards of elections accepted mail-in ballots. To be included in the final canvass, those mail-in ballots must have been received by Friday morning at 10 a.m. and must have been postmarked by July 19 — the date of the state primary.

Later this week, county election officials will start counting the more than 8,000 provisional ballots that had been cast. They have said that they hoped to have the count completed and certified by Aug. 12.

WTOP’s Kate Ryan and Maryland Matters Editor Danielle E. Gaines contributed to this report.

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