Vanessa Atterbeary wins Democratic primary for Howard County executive race
Vanessa Atterbeary is on track to become the first Black woman to serve as Howard County executive.
She had more votes than the three other Democratic candidates just after 10 p.m. Tuesday evening, when the Associated Press called the race for her.
No Republicans are running for the position, so she could be unopposed in November’s general election. Unaffiliated candidates have until July 6 to enter the race.
Atterbeary received key endorsements from Gov. Wes Moore and County Executive Calvin Ball, who will reach his term limit at the end of 2026. This gave the longtime lawmaker an edge over businessman Bob Cockey and council members Deb Jung and Liz Walsh.