:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/OGDDYWYQ6RBW3KUIIALU7IP6A4.jpg)
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski breezed through the Democratic primary for his office Tuesday night, taking a commanding, 34,000 vote lead over Dundalk resident and first-time candidate Adam Reuter with nearly all of the election day precincts reporting.
Olszewski had the Democratic contest well in hand, while former state delegate and radio personality Pat McDonough was leading the crowded field of newcomer Republican candidates by nearly 6,000 votes. Although tens of thousands of mail-in votes between the two races won’t be counted until Thursday morning, unseating McDonough at the top of GOP field would require a significant shift in voting among the nearly 14,000 Republicans who received mail-in ballots.
Tuesday’s returns mark a dramatically different result for Olszewski, 39, than he experienced four years ago, when he escaped the Democratic primary by a razor thin margin of 17 votes. He had wrapped up just over 84% of early returns as of midnight Tuesday, a tally that accounts for ballots cast during early voting and on election day.
McDonough, the lone political veteran in a field of six Republicans, held almost 41% of the vote in his primary at 11:45 p.m. Henry Ciezkowski, a Dundalk food service worker, was sitting in second with less than 18%.
Political observers widely expect Olszewski to cruise back into office this November, a result that would prolong nearly three decades of Democratic control in the county. A Democrat has won the Baltimore County executive office every cycle since 1994. Following his narrow primary victory four years ago, Olszewski went on to easily defeat his GOP opponent, who had the backing of Gov. Larry Hogan.
Twice Olszewski’s age, McDonough has campaigned as a conservative hard-liner, while the incumbent has pitched himself as a progressive.
Speaking from a watch party in Catonsville, Olszewski said he was “very confident” the results would hold and “beyond thrilled and grateful for the overwhelming support” of county voters. He said broad approval for his work on transparent governance, commitments to public safety and plans to invest billions of dollars in county schools over the years ahead were the basis for the huge swing between the primary of 2018 and Tuesday night.
“We’re looking forward to being able to tell that story through November,” the county executive said.
Meanwhile, McDonough expressed confidence in his lead and the support he expected to draw from mail-in voters.
“From what I see, we’re crushing ‘em,” he said around 11 p.m. Tuesday. He added that he has the experience, bold ideas and “competitive edge” to take on Olszewski in the general election. “We believe this is going to be one of the biggest upsets in the state of Maryland,” he said.
Unlike the Democratic primary for county executive, the Republican contest was drama-filled. Missing and damaged campaign signs became the subject of surprising attention and finger-pointing — so much so that McDonough filed a complaint with the Maryland Board of Elections accusing Dundalk rival Darren Badillo of tampering with his signs, while Badillo pressed a criminal charge against McDonough over allegedly stealing one of his signs.
At the time of his last campaign finance filing, McDonough had less than $2,800 in the bank. By contrast, Olszewski, a former teacher whose father served on the Baltimore County Council for four terms, enters the general election cycle with a war chest of nearly $2 million dollars.
McDonough emphasized his long career in Maryland politics while campaigning against the crowded and little-known Republican field. He has made the case that Baltimore County residents are jaded by Olszewski’s leadership, and tired of high crime, crowded schools and unbridled development. And McDonough — whose rhetoric on immigration has been called racist and xenophobic by immigration activists — campaigned on promises to restrict immigration into Baltimore County, push tough-on-crime policies, oust Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt and clamp down on government spending.
Olszewski, meanwhile, has pitched his candidacy as an extension of his work over the last four years. The Democrat has prioritized transparency in Baltimore County government, easing overcrowded classrooms with hefty investments in school infrastructure and promoting public safety. Critics of Olszewski have zeroed in on crime levels in the county over recent years. Though pacing lower this year, Baltimore County hit all-time homicide records in both 2019 and 2021. Violence in public schools has spiked, and, like many jurisdictions nationally, the county has struggled to retain police officers.
At a polling site at the Ateaze Senior Center in Dundalk, 75-year-old Joyce Lucich said she’s been happy with Olszewski’s performance over the last four years and has appreciated seeing him engaged in the community. Her husband Tony Lucich is a registered Republican but said he’d likely end up voting for Olszewski in November, too.
“Not because I’m really a big fan, but because he’s doing a good job,” said Tony Lucich.
In a $4.8 billion budget rolled out earlier this year, Olszewski included an increase of more than $90 million for Baltimore County Public Schools, on top of major investments for renovating, expanding and replacing school infrastructure. Also included are four new floating resource officers for county schools and Police Department positions for a wellness director, data scientists, forensics experts and a community engagement manager.
He’s also pledged to finish outfitting the Police Department with body cameras and said he’s still working to establish a one-year pilot program he announced last year to divert some calls involving mental health crises from police to behavioral health professionals, such as clinicians.
Several Republicans interviewed, including 72 year-old Bob Stratemeyer, said they didn’t know much about the GOP field but voted for McDonough in part because they recognized his name. “He’s the only one I really know anything about,” Stratemeyer said before casting his ballot at Mays Chapel Elementary School Tuesday evening.
Reporters Taylor DeVille, Cadence Quaranta and Jon Meltzer contributed to this story.
adam.willis@thebaltimorebanner.com
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/baltimorebanner/c2975011-761d-45b5-84e4-7eee52064ef6.png)
Adam Willis covers city government for The Banner, including the impacts of the large COVID-19 stimulus package that Baltimore received from the federal government.
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/UTOU6RCPLZEOREZ3XZNRG2ZDKY.jpg)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/YO2XC34J6JHOZKTPKVPUWFEYVE.jpg)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/5VYMTB6UOFHKXG72LMP42HMWOU.jpg)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/7V65VJ4Z2FCCNPYEXDDIMABSPE.JPG)