Barnes Loses Bid for Reelection to Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee

Scherod C. Barnes, the Maryland Democratic Party’s No. 2 official, is on his way out as chairman of the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee, after more than a decade in the post.

Barnes, 69, lost re-election to one of seven Democratic State Central Committee seats representing Northeast Baltimore’s 43rd District in the June 26 Democratic primary, running eighth in a field of 17, unofficial election results finalized Friday show.

He received 5,266 votes, 6.5 percent of the votes cast, 169 votes behind Alexander J. Garcia, who won a seat on the central committee by finishing in the seventh spot with 5,435 votes, 6.7 percent, the results show.

A well-known community activist in Northeast Baltimore, Barnes has been chairman of Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee since 2007, elected from among the committee’s 49 elected members citywide.

He is also first vice chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party, a post he has held since May 2017, but will not necessarily lose that position as a result of the 43rd District central committee loss.

Scherod C. Barnes

Barnes ran this year as one of five candidates for the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee on a ticket headed by state Sen. Joan Carter Conway, who lost her re-election bid in the primary to Del. Mary L. Washington. Also on Conway’s ticket were incumbent Del. Maggie L. McIntosh and newcomer Regina T. Boyce, both of whom won for the House of Delegates.

Three of the five central committee candidates on the Conway ticket finished in the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots: Karenthia A. Barber, with 9.3 percent of the vote; Sylvia A. Williams, with 8.2 percent; and Odette T. Ramos with 8.1 percent.

They were followed by Khalilah M. Harris, who received 7.4 percent of the vote, and Angie Smith Winder, with 7.0 percent, both of whom won seats.

The fifth central committee candidate on the Conway-McIntosh-Boyce ticket was Terrence D. Thrweatt, Jr., who ran a distant 13th, deep in the field, capturing just 3,206 votes, 3.9 percent of the vote.

Barnes was a member of the House of Delegates from July 2010 to January 2011, having been recommended by the central committee to then-Gov. Martin J. O’Malley (D), who appointed him to finish the term of former Del. Anne Marie Doory (D), who retired.

He did not stand for election in 2010 to continue in the House, choosing instead to run for Baltimore City Council from the 4th District the following year. He lost in 2011 to Councilman William B. “Bill” Henry (D), who also defeated him in 2007.

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