Edgewater County Council member Jessica Haire became the Republican nominee for Anne Arundel County executive Friday, defeating former Annapolis Del. Herb McMillan.
Haire received 16,358 votes (44.4%), according to unofficial Anne Arundel County Board of Elections results.
McMillan, who was Haire’s main opponent in the primary, finished with 14,292 votes (38.8%). McMillan said Friday he called Haire to congratulate her and conceded in a Friday statement, but continued to push on his main campaign themes.
“We do not concede defeat in our campaign to take back the Republican party and give the people of Anne Arundel County a government anchored in integrity, based on the principle that government exists to serve them,” McMillan said in the statement.
Haire led McMillan by about 1,400 votes entering the final canvassing session, which included about 4,700 Republican ballots. The final margin of victory was more than 2,000 votes.
In a statement Friday evening, Haire said she was “forever changed by the outpouring of support,” thanking supporters and jabbing at her next opponent, incumbent Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. Haire will face Pittman in the general election on Nov. 8. The Democrat was unopposed in the primary.
“Over the last four years, our county has not moved forward,” Haire said in the statement.
Haire held a strong lead in fundraising over fellow Republicans throughout her campaign — garnering criticism from her opponents who noted a chunk of her campaign cash came from a Silver Spring developer which has been attempting to build a landfill in Odenton.
Besides the two front-runners, fellow GOP candidate John Grasso received 4,361 votes (12%), Fernando Berra had 1,124 votes (3%), and Chris Jahn got 752 votes (2%)
Shannon Leadbetter won the GOP nomination for the District 7 seat that Haire will be vacating, winning with 2,812 votes (38.9%) against competitors Dawn Pulliam, who had 2,203 votes (30.5%) and Cailey Locklair, who had 2,215 votes (30.6%). Democrat Shawn Livingston was unopposed in that race.
In another close race, Julie Hummer beat John C. Dove Jr., for the Democratic nomination for the District 4 council seat, winning with 2,907 votes (40.5%) over Dove’s 2,687 votes (37.4%). On the Republican side of that race, Cheryl Renshaw beat Thomas Wieland with 1,107 votes (53%) to Wieland’s 983 (47%).
Incumbent Republican Sheriff Jim Fredericks won handily with 20,758 votes (63.4%) against three primary challengers — James H. McNeill with 5,795 votes (17.7%), Warren Darlington Porter Jr. with 3,637 votes (11.1%) and Joe Delimater with 2,565 votes (7.8%). In November, Fredericks will face Democratic nominee Everett Sesker, who ran unopposed in his primary.
Gary Simmons won the Democratic nomination for the newly created District 12B House of Delegates seats. He received 829 votes (34.7%), beating Daniel McGinty’s 809 votes (33.9%) and Jeff Garcia’s 751 votes (31.4%). Simmons will face Ashley P. Arias, who won the Republican nomination with 505 votes (38.1%) over David R. Buchanan, 485 votes (36.6%), Victor Henderson, 214 votes (16.1%) and Ronald A. Imbragulio, Sr., 121 votes (9.1%)
