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Md. Election Results Showcase Importance Of Voter Turnout

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The results of last week's general election highlight the importance of voter turnout.

Political reporter Pat Warren has more on why some voters just didn't seem interested.

The question is, given the two-to-one ratio of Democrats in the state and the significance of electing the first African-American governor, how did Anthony Brown lose?

Baltimore resident Rick Moore says he would have voted for Anthony Brown.

"To see a black man finally...be governor," Moore said.

But Moore admits he didn't vote and the majority of voters in Democrat-dense Baltimore City, Prince George's and Montgomery counties bypassed the polls.

"I don't think voters knew the significance of this race. This is the first African-American governor and for some reason, it meant nothing when we have an African-American president," said State Senator Lisa Gladden, a Democrat.

Thirty-six percent of city voters cast ballots Tuesday. In Prince George's County, 38% went to the polls. Thirty-nine percent of Montgomery County voters---with the largest minority population in the state---voted. Gladden considers those numbers good for a midterm election.

"The thing is, it's not that we did not come out to vote. The thing is, we did not come out to vote for Anthony Brown. We came out and voted for somebody else," Gladden said.

Democrat Andrea Jackson says she was turned off by the tone of the Brown campaign.

"I just didn't like some of the negative things that came out," she said.

"Terribly negative," Gladden said.

Neither campaign hit home for Democrat Har Preet.

"There hasn't been one candidate that fixed the problems in these neighborhoods," Preet said.

"It doesn't matter, the race or whatever, the better man won and we just have to work together," Jackson said.

The Brown campaign may have relied too heavily on big names and numbers and fallen short on the working together.

"You know what, it still boils down to who is the candidate and what is the candidate offering and I don't believe Anthony Brown offered anything to the community that said, `I'm going to get out and vote,'" Gladden said.

A stronger turnout in Baltimore, Harford and Frederick counties helped tip the scales in Republican Larry Hogan's favor. He will be inaugurated governor on January 21.

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