Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has prevailed in a very close primary for re-election, edging out David Blair by 32 votes – the second straight recount-worthy finish between the two.
In a stirring and prolonged process eerily reminiscent of the 2018 democratic primary featuring the same two top contenders, Marc Elrich prevailed in a narrow race following (this time) a full recount. The margin of 32 votes was even closer than the 77 from four years ago. The County Board of Elections certified the result on August 24, and Mr. Blair has conceded the final result.
From coverage from WTOP News:
The recount at the Germantown Recreation Center began on Friday. Blair requested the recount last week, after the certification of the results found him 35 votes behind Elrich out of nearly 140,000 votes cast.
The final margin was 32 votes. Elrich defeated Blair by 77 votes in 2018.
Blair said in a statement that he had called Elrich “to wish him the best over the next four years.”
The original count found Erlich (sic) topped Blair by 35 votes. In the recounting process, Blair gained a total of 10 votes; Erlich (sic), seven.
The final tally in the race put the top two contenders within a small fraction of one percent of votes cast:
The full results are available on the State Board of Elections website.
Mr. Elrich offered thanks to the hard-working staff who performed the full counting and certification process:
For more information from the Montgomery County Board of Elections, visit the Board website for details on the count, process, and the certification.
