MSEA Celebrates Success of Educator-Backed Candidates Up and Down Ballot
As votes continue to be counted and the results of Election Day in Maryland have crystallized, it’s clear that this year’s election results represent tremendous wins for students, educators, and schools across Maryland. Educator-backed candidates swept the statewide elections for governor, comptroller, and attorney general, won key swing General Assembly seats, and emerged victorious at the county level in numerous closely contested races at the county level and school board.
“Our students deserve top-notch, fully funded public schools—and that’s why educators and educator-recommended candidates put in the work to win key elections up and down the ballot this year. Our students, schools, educators, and families will benefit from the strong, committed pro-public education leaders who were elected,” said MSEA President Cheryl Bost.
Educators once again showed the value of their recommendation. MSEA members knocked on thousands of doors, made thousands of contacts via phone calls and text messages, and handed out 400,000 Apple Ballots at the polls, including through more than 1,000 volunteer shifts during early voting (October 27-November 3) and on Election Day.
Based on the statewide, legislative, and local races called thus far, educator-recommended candidates have been victorious in 83% of races during the general election, a win rate that will likely continue to grow as more races are called.
Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General Wins
“It’s a historic moment for Maryland, our students, and our schools,” said Bost. “We’re thrilled that Wes Moore, Aruna Miller, Brooke Lierman, and Anthony Brown won their races and will lead the fight to ensure that no one is left behind and everyone has an equal shot at success. By soundly defeating candidates who would have focused on politicizing our schools and attacking the work of dedicated educators, this is a huge victory for our efforts to ensure that every student in every neighborhood has the resources and opportunities to pursue their dreams.”
Educator-Endorsed Candidates Defend and Win General Assembly Seats
While a small handful of races are still too close to call, it’s clear that educator-backed candidates performed incredibly well in state legislative races. As of now, educator-recommended candidates have won 93% of their contests in the Senate and 92% of their contests in the House of Delegates. Key seats defended include in District 8 (Kathy Klausmeier, Harry Bhandari, and Carl Jackson), District 9 (Katie Fry Hester), District 27 (Michael Jackson), District 29B (Brian Crosby), District 30 (Sarah Elfreth, Shaneka Henson, and Dana Jones), District 32 (Pam Beidle, Sandy Bartlett, Mark Chang, and Mike Rogers), and District 34A (Andre Johnson Steve Johnson). Educator-backed candidates also flipped a number of seats, including in District 2B (Brooke Grossman), District 8 (Nick Allen), District 9A (Natalie Ziegler and possibly Chao Wu), and District 33 (Dawn Gile and Andrew Pruski), and likely will ultimately prevail in District 33C (Heather Bagnall) and District 34 (Mary-Dulany James) as well.
County Executive Races
Educator-recommended county executive candidates had very strong election results overall, including convincing wins by Calvin Ball in Howard County and Johnny Olszewski, Jr. in Baltimore County, a strong win by Steuart Pittman in Anne Arundel County, and victories by Angela Alsobrooks in Prince George’s County and Marc Elrich in Montgomery County. While Frederick County remains too close to call, Jessica Fitzwater has a clear path to victory in that race as votes continue to be tallied. Educator-recommended county council/county commission candidates also had a strong showing.
Educator-Backed School Board Candidates Defeat Extreme Candidates
“Unfortunately, we saw many candidates run for school board this year who were fixated on divisive and extreme political agendas—but thankfully many of these candidates were defeated on Election Day,” said Bost. “We were proud to support candidates focused on the things our students really need, like expanding career and technical education, making sure our schools are fully staffed, and providing additional support for struggling learners.”
In Frederick County, it appears that at least three out of four educator-backed candidates will defeat members of the extremist “Hate Slate” (a fourth “Hate Slate” member was defeated in the primary), and in Baltimore County educator-recommended candidates are on track to prevail against at least two out of three of the far-right candidates running. Educator-recommended candidates also defeated extreme candidates in Charles, Harford, and Howard, among other counties, with more races still to be called.