On a November evening, the Associated Press placed two Maryland Democrats, Johnny Olszewski and Sarah Elfreth, into the House of Representatives, a quiet moment in a long democratic ritual of counting and choosing. Olszewski, a former civics teacher who rose through Baltimore County, carried the state's most watched contest despite a cloud of questions about pension payments that his opponents wanted investigated first. Elfreth, at 36, becomes a young milestone in a state that has sent few women to Washington. Every incumbent kept a seat, while the open District 6 contest between Neil Parrott
Olszewski and Elfreth Win Maryland U.S. House Races; District 6 Remains Uncalled
Poor record versus no record at all
Mark
Two new Democrats headed to Congress, and one race still open. Where does the attention go?
Mimi
To District 6. Parrott against McClain Delaney could be the closest race in the state, and it's the GOP's likeliest shot at a second Maryland seat after Andy Harris.
Luke
Careful with what we know there. The only numbers are from a September poll: 41 to 39, with a 5.6-point margin of error. That's a statistical tie, not a forecast.
Mark
And Frederick County is supposedly the key?
Mimi
Pollsters say so. Delaney led there 44 to 29, which suggests she needed it.
Luke
That's the pollsters' read, not a result. Nothing here says how votes in Frederick actually came in.
Mark
What about Olszewski? The pension payments didn't sink him.
Mimi
Projected win, yes. Republicans split on the response, with the state party demanding resignation and council Republicans asking for an investigation first.
Luke
The payments are reported, and he denies wrongdoing. The piece doesn't say any investigation concluded anything, so I wouldn't draw a line from the controversy to the vote.
Mark
And Elfreth's youngest-woman distinction?
Mimi
It comes from The Banner's reporting, at age 36.
Luke
Right, so it's attributed to one outlet, and these are AP projections, not certified results.
O Pulso
- Olszewski won District 2 over Republican Kim Klacik, but only after a secret pension payment controversy forced his campaign to defend its ethics line by line.
- Party leaders demanded resignation while county Republicans asked for an investigation first, turning a local ledger into a statewide fight.
- Elfreth's projected win in District 3 makes her Maryland's youngest woman ever elected to Congress at age 36, a breakthrough that landed quickly.
- District 6 remains uncalled between Parrott and Delaney, with Frederick County expected to decide it and a GOP pickup now a real possibility.
On a November evening, the Associated Press placed two Maryland Democrats, Johnny Olszewski and Sarah Elfreth, into the House of Representatives, a quiet moment in a long democratic ritual of counting and choosing. Olszewski, a former civics teacher who rose through Baltimore County, carried the state's most watched contest despite a cloud of questions about pension payments that his opponents wanted investigated first. Elfreth, at 36, becomes a young milestone in a state that has sent few women to Washington. Every incumbent kept a seat, while the open District 6 contest between Neil Parrott and April McClain Delaney still hangs unsettled, a reminder that some verdicts take longer to arrive than others.
On Tuesday evening, the Associated Press projected that two Maryland Democrats had won U.S. House seats: Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski in District 2 and state Sen. Sarah Elfreth in District 3. Elfreth, 36, is the youngest woman Maryland has ever elected to Congress. Every other incumbent was also projected to return, including Andy Harris, Glenn Ivey, Steny Hoyer, Kweisi Mfume and Jamie Raskin.
Olszewski, a Dundalk native and former civics teacher, campaigned on $225 million in parks investment, $3 billion planned for school construction, public safety, abortion rights and the cost of living. His campaign was shadowed by reports of secret pension payments to a friend's brother. The state GOP demanded his resignation, and he called the accusations a partisan attempt to score points. His opponent, Kim Klacik, known for a viral 2020 ad, has never held public office, and voters at Perry Hall High School split between her and the familiar name.
In District 3, Elfreth defeated Republican businessman Robert Steinberger, having won a crowded primary and built a record on education, Chesapeake Bay protection and casino-tax disaster relief for Annapolis storefronts. District 6, the open seat vacated by David Trone, remains too close to call between Neil Parrott and April McClain Delaney, with Frederick County likely to settle it.
On Tuesday evening, the Associated Press projected that two Maryland Democrats, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski in District 2 and state Sen. Sarah Elfreth in District 3, had won their races for the U.S. House. The Baltimore Banner reported that Elfreth, who is 36, is the youngest woman Maryland has ever elected to Congress.
The AP also projected that every House incumbent in the state would be reelected: Andy Harris, a Republican, in District 1; and Democrats Glenn Ivey in District 4, Steny Hoyer in District 5, Kweisi Mfume in District 7 and Jamie Raskin in District 8. Mfume took 78.51 percent against Republican Scott Collier's 18.84 percent and Libertarian Ronald Owens-Bey's 2.43 percent. Raskin took 75.38 percent against Republican Cheryl Riley's 21.96 percent and Green Party candidate Nancy Wallace's 2.46 percent.
The one race still waiting for a call was District 6, between former state Del. Neil Parrott, a Republican, and April McClain Delaney, a Democrat and federal employee. The seat opened up when Rep. David Trone ran for Senate and lost the primary to Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Two other seats opened because Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger (District 2) and John Sarbanes (District 3) chose to retire.
District 2, the state's highest-profile House contest, covers most of Baltimore and Carroll counties and a sliver of Baltimore City. Olszewski, a Dundalk native and former civics teacher, was elected county executive in 2018 and reelected in 2022. He cites $225 million invested in parks and open space and $3 billion planned for school construction and improvements. He also points to the Offices of the Inspector General and Community Engagement, a 311 line, town halls, open budgets and data dashboards. In Congress he says he wants to focus on public safety, abortion rights and the cost of living. Implementing red-flag gun laws is another priority.
His campaign was shadowed by reports that his administration made secret pension payments to a friend's brother. The state Republican Party demanded his immediate resignation, while Republicans on the County Council asked for an investigation first. Olszewski called the accusations an attempt by a political party to score points. "Everything we've done has been moral, ethical, legal," he told Patch.
His opponent, Republican Kim Klacik, gained national attention in 2020 with a viral ad titled "Black Lives Don't Matter To Democrats," which has nearly 1 million YouTube views and drew an endorsement from then-President Donald Trump. She lost two races to Mfume in the 7th District after the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings. She told The Banner that voters had raised the pension payments with her, and acknowledged she has never held public office: voters must choose between a poor record and no record at all.
Patch spoke with voters at Perry Hall High School. Noreen Kennedy backed Klacik, calling her feisty. Joe Rodriguez and John Douglas, a registered Republican who splits his ticket, also voted for her, both citing disapproval of Olszewski. Shelby Fleming, who voted a Democratic ticket, said she stuck with the familiar name.
In District 3, which covers the northeast half of Anne Arundel County, all of Howard County and southern Carroll County, Elfreth faced Republican businessman Robert Steinberger. First elected to the state Senate in 2018, she won a crowded primary that included Dels. Mark Chang and Mike Rogers and Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She prioritizes education, Chesapeake Bay protection and small businesses, and wrote legislation using casino taxes for disaster relief that helped Annapolis storefronts recover from January's flooding.
District 6, covering northwest Montgomery County, all of Frederick County and Western Maryland, may be the state's closest race and the Maryland GOP's best chance at a second House seat. A September poll had Parrott at 41 percent and Delaney at 39, with 20 percent undecided and a margin of error of 5.6 points. Pollsters expected Frederick County to decide it; there, Delaney led 44 to 29 percent.
Citações Notáveis
Everything we've done has been moral, ethical, legal.— Johnny Olszewski, to Patch
He has a poor record where I have no record at all.— Kim Klacik, to The Baltimore Banner
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