From Essex to Catonsville, from Parkton to Arbutus, there are political battlegrounds across Baltimore County, as campaigns gear up for the June 23 primary election.
The races are now set. The deadline for candidates to file to run in Baltimore County and throughout Maryland was Tuesday at 9 pm.
County Executive
The marquee contest is the five-way race for the Democratic nomination for county executive. Three county council members are in: Pat Young, Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones. They are joined by former school board member and attorney Nick Stewart, as well as Monsoor Shams, the community engagement and outreach officer for the county’s department of recreation and parks.
Roger Hartley, professor of public and international affairs at the University of Baltimore, said it’s one of the most interesting races to watch in the state.
“In a crowded race, as we’ve seen in the past, anything can happen,” Hartley said.
There are two candidates vying for the Republican nomination: Patrick Dyer, who owns a financial services business, and Kimberley Stansbury, who came in second four years ago for the GOP nomination.
County Council
There are now nine county council seats since voters in 2024 agreed to expand the body by two council members. There are seven open seats with each of them having competitive primary races. The two incumbents running for reelection, Republican David Marks and Democrat Mike Ertel, are not being challenged in their primaries.
Here are several of the more intriguing council races:
In District 5, which runs from north of Towson to the Pennsylvania line, Republican Wade Kach is retiring.
Del. Nino Mangione is running in the Republican primary for the council seat, as is the Gunpowder Falls Riverkeeper Theaux Le Gardeur. Mangione said he “pushes back against the ‘woke’ policies of the radical left.” Le Gardeur, in his role as the riverkeeper and the owner of a fly fishing shop, focuses on the environment and being a small businessman.
District 9, which includes Dundalk, is also an open seat because Republican Todd Crandell is retiring.
The GOP primary is a four-way race. It includes Tim Fazenbaker, JD Urbach, Jake Mohorovic and Russ “No Tax” Mirabile. Fazenbaker is a MAGA Republican. Urbach is a more traditional conservative. Mohorovic, who filed his candidacy on Monday, did not return a call asking for comment. Mirabile filed late Tuesday.
District 4 is an open seat because Democratic Councilman Izzy Patoka is running for county executive.
Karson Kamenetz is running for the seat. He is the son of former county executive Kevin Kamenetz, who died in office in 2018. His opponent is community advocate Aaron Barnett.
State’s Attorney
Incumbent Scott Shellenberger is running for his sixth term. He had a close call in 2022, eking out a win in the Democratic primary. This time around he has two primary opponents, attorneys Sarah David and Laura Lipscomb.
Sheriff
Jay Fisher, who has been the sheriff since 2002, did not file to run for reelection this year. Three Democrats are vying for the party’s nomination for sheriff, Clyde Boatwright, William Merrill and Adam Schuster.
There are also competitive races for Baltimore County’s seats in the Maryland General Assembly.
