Local Election Roundup

Several House incumbents win in Maryland, Virginia

Get a quick rundown of all of the main races on election night in D.C., Maryland and Virginia:

Va. House of Representatives

Democrats gained at least one seat in Virginia's U.S. House of Representatives delegation Tuesday when Gerald Connolly won the seat of retiring Republican incumbent Tom Davis.

Virginia's 5th District congressional race remains too close to call. With a smattering of absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted Wednesday, Democratic challenger Tom Perriello held a scant 119-vote lead over Republican incumbent Virgil Goode. A recount appears likely.

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Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, defeated Republican Keith Fimian in northern Virginia's 11th District to cut into the GOP's 8-3 advantage in the state's delegation. Connolly had the benefit of greater name recognition and demographic changes that have titled the district more Democratic.

"Tonight, Virginians joined their fellow Americans in taking their government back," Connolly told a crowd of Democratic supporters at a victory party in McLean. "Tonight we told the ideologues to stand aside."

Democrat Glenn Nye defeated Republican incumbent Thelma Drake in the 2nd District. Nye had branded Drake a rubber stamp for the Bush administration. Nye is a dynamic speaker whose experience as a Foreign Service officer in Afghanistan and Iraq plays well in the heavily military Hampton Roads district.

Eight incumbents won re-election, including Republican Frank Wolf, who defeated Democrat Judy Feder in a closely watched contest in northern Virginia's 10th District. Feder also unsuccessfully challenged Wolf in 2004.

Republicans Randy Forbes, Eric Cantor, Rob Wittman and Bob Goodlatte all turned back Democratic challenges. Forbes beat Andrea Miller in the 4th District, Cantor defeated Anita Hartke in the 7th, Wittman turned back Bill Day in the 1st, and Goodlatte beat Sam Rasoul in the 6th. Democratic incumbent Jim Moran defeated Republican Mark Ellmore in the 8th.

Democratic incumbents Bobby Scott in the 3rd District and Rick Boucher in the 9th were unopposed.

Democrats fielded candidates in all 11 districts, sensing an opportunity based largely on the sinking popularity of President George W. Bush and frustration over the Iraq war and the troubled economy.

Race Close For New Maryland Congressman

With more than 25,000 absentee ballots to be counted, the race for Maryland's open seat in the House of Representatives is far from settled.

The absentee ballot count in the 1st District contest between Republican Andy Harris and Democrat Frank Kratovil will start Thursday and may not be done until Friday, according to the State Board of Elections. That will be followed by a provisional ballot count. The final tally won't be known for more than a week.

Harris trails Kratovil by about 1,000 votes out of the more than 328,000 cast Tuesday.

The conservative Harris is a three-term state senator from Cockeysville in Baltimore County. Kratovil is the Queen Anne's County state's attorney.

The district includes the Eastern Shore and parts of the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil and Harford.

Harris was helped by former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Kratovil had Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley on his side, but he maintained some distance from the state's chief executive, who is perceived even by some of the district's Democrats as too liberal.

Maryland's other seven House members won easy victories.

In the 6th District, eight-term Republican incumbent Roscoe G. Bartlett defeated former Frederick mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty, who had portrayed her 82-year-old opponent as out of touch with constituents. The district includes all or part of eight counties from the state's western border to the Susquehanna River.

With 42 percent of precincts reporting Bartlett had 59 percent of the vote compared with Dougherty's 37 percent and Libertarian Gary Hoover's 3 percent.

Third-term Democratic Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger defeated Republican Richard P. Matthews and Libertarian Lorenzo Gaztanaga in the 2nd District, covering sections of Anne Arundel, Harford and Baltimore counties and part of Baltimore city.

In the 3rd District, representing sections of Baltimore city and parts of Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties, freshman Democratic Rep. John P. Sarbanes defeated Republican insurance broker Thomas Harris.

Democrat Donna Edwards won her first full term in the 4th District seat representing many of Washington's eastern and northern suburbs. Edwards, who won a special election in June after Rep. Albert Wynn resigned, defeated Republican Peter James and Libertarian Thibeaux Lincecum. She had 85 percent of the vote with 46 percent of precincts reporting.

Fifth District Democratic incumbent Steny H. Hoyer won a 15th term serving his southern Maryland district. He defeated Republican Collins Bailey and Libertarian Darlene Nichols.

Voters in the 7th District re-elected Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings to a seventh term in the seat representing much of Baltimore city and parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. Cummings defeated Republican Michael Hargadon and Libertarian Ronald Owens-Bey.

In the 8th District, Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen won a fourth term by defeating Republican Steve Hudson, Green Party candidate Gordon Clark and Libertarian Ian Thomas.

Norton Wins Re-Election In DC

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has been re-elected as the District of Columbia's nonvoting member of Congress. The Democratic incumbent defeated Statehood Green Party candidate Maude Louise Hills in Tuesday's election, winning her 10th consecutive term in the House.

Norton, 71, has long fought to give D.C. a vote in Congress, and says she is optimistic that a Democratic administration will greatly enhance the city's chances.

Economic development also is a priority. Norton recently helped obtain $100 million in federal funds to move the Department of Homeland Security to the campus of St. Elizabeths Hospital in southeast Washington.

Schwartz, Mara Lose D.C. Council Race

Republican Carol Schwartz's write-in campaign to keep an at-large D.C. Council seat failed Tuesday, but an industry-backed competitor failed to pick up the necessary votes to replace her.

Of the two at-large seats in the D.C. Council up for grabs, Kwame Brown, D-at large, handily retained his seat while Michael Brown, a Democrat turned Independent, won Schwartz's seat.  (Washington Business Journal)

D.C. School Board

The District chose its first fully elected Board of Education in more than a decade yesterday.

Mary Lord in Ward 2, Laura McGiffert Slover in Ward 3, Sekou Biddle in Ward 4, Lisa Raymond in Ward 6 and at-large candidate Ted Trabue were in uncontested races. (Washington Post)

Maryland Slots Pass

A deluge of Maryland voters Tuesday approved a state constitutional amendment to legalize slot-machine gambling,

With 1,241 of 1,829 precincts reporting (68 percent), the slot-machine amendment had received 848,797 yes votes (59 percent) and 591,615 no votes (41 percent). (Washington Times)

Prince George's, Montgomery Co. Issues

Anti-tax sentiment prompted Prince George's County voters to reject a ballot measure yesterday that would have raised the tax on telephone bills to aid schools, but a widely contested attempt to curb annual property tax increases in Montgomery County was too close to call. (Washington Post)

Frederick Co. Board of Education

Two incumbents easily coasted to re-election on Frederick County's Board of Education on Tuesday, and a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher claimed the third seat up for grabs on the seven-member board. (Frederick News Post)

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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