Olszewski Wins Democratic Nomination For Baltimore Co. Exec. In Tight Race
BALTIMORE CO., Md. (WJZ) -- A winner has emerged in the race to secure the Democratic nomination for Baltimore County execute, but the race is far from over.
Former state delegate Johnny Olszewski has unofficially won the Democratic primary by a slim margin, edging out Sen. Jim Brochin by nine votes.
Olszewski arrived to a cascade of applause from supporters outside the historic courthouse in Towson.
"We are so humbled and grateful by today's results and I first would like to thank the Board of Elections, who I know worked around the clock to get us to this point," Olszewski said.
Olszewski issued the following statement:
"It's clear that voters believe in our our vision for universal pre-K, tuition free community college, and campaign finance reform," Olszewski said. "I remain humbled by the surge of support we've seen, and we are excited to work together to create a government that puts our communities ahead of special interests."
On Friday, you could hear a pin drop at the Baltimore County Board of Elections moments before the results of the provisional ballots were announced.
Earlier in the afternoon, a recount of absentee ballots showed a seven-vote difference Olszewski and Brochin.
Elections officials say even with the vote this close, there is no automatic recount.
"They have to be petitioned for by a candidate. It's up to a candidate to make that decision," said Board of Elections Attorney Andrew Bailey.
They also begun the process of reviewing the count, given the closeness of the votes.
On his Facebook page, Brochin wrote he's exploring the possibility of a recount and offered well wishes Olszewski on a hard-fought campaign.
Olszewski announced Councilwoman Vicki Almond, who had been behind by about 1,000 votes in the race, also reached out Friday.
"She had encouraged us and congratulated us on the totals today and look forward to continuing the conversations with both of them," Olszewski said.
The vote still needs to be certified before a recount can happen. That's expected to occur sometime next week.
"We're thrilled to be where we are and we trust in the process and look forward to tomorrow and the day after. We're really excited about where we are," Olszewski said.
The official winner will face Republican primary nominee Al Redmer.
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