ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s two statewide Democrats below the governor are headed for second terms with bigger margins than four years ago. Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Attorney General Anthony G. Brown each held about 67% of the vote statewide, according to unofficial results from the Maryland State Board of Elections updated at 9:21 a.m. Wednesday.
Lierman led Republican Sonya Dunn 1,227,871 to 606,257, or 66.9% to 33%. Brown led Republican James B. Rutledge III 1,237,330 to 609,280, or 66.9% to 33%, per the attorney general results. Each lead topped 600,000 votes with 1,968 of 1,979 Election Day precincts reporting. Provisional ballots and remaining mail-in ballots have not been counted.
Southern Maryland split the way it did for governor. Calvert and St. Mary’s voters favored both Republicans; Charles gave both Democrats roughly three-quarters of its vote.
| County | Lierman 2026 | Lierman 2022 | Brown 2026 | Brown 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvert | 45.2% | 42.5% | 45.3% | 45.0% |
| Charles | 75.4% | 68.4% | 75.7% | 70.2% |
| St. Mary’s | 42.8% | 38.5% | 42.9% | 41.4% |
| Maryland | 66.9% | 61.6% | 66.9% | 65.0% |
Losing locally, but by less
Both Democrats lost Calvert and St. Mary’s, yet both improved on their 2022 shares there. That runs against the governor’s race, where Gov. Wes Moore’s share fell in both counties.
In Calvert, Dunn led Lierman 18,230 to 15,032, and Rutledge led Brown 18,576 to 15,373, according to the Calvert results. In St. Mary’s, Dunn led 20,581 to 15,417 and Rutledge led 20,873 to 15,700, per the St. Mary’s results.
Lierman’s gains were the larger of the two. In 2022, in an open-seat race against Republican Barry Glassman, she took 42.5% in Calvert and 38.5% in St. Mary’s, according to official 2022 results. This year she rose to 45.2% and 42.8%. Statewide, her share climbed about 5 points.
Charles moved further toward both incumbents. Lierman took 44,448 votes there to Dunn’s 14,437, and Brown took 44,986 to Rutledge’s 14,400, according to the Charles results.
One caution: 2022 figures are final, while this year’s still exclude provisional ballots and mail-in ballots that have not yet been counted, so county percentages may shift slightly.
What the two offices do
The comptroller collects state taxes, sends income tax refunds and helps oversee state spending as one of three members of the Board of Public Works. Lierman has used the office to weigh in on federal issues with local effects; she recently urged the U.S. Census Bureau to drop proposed changes to the 2030 count that she said could cost Maryland funding, the Chronicle reported.
The attorney general is the state’s chief lawyer, representing state agencies in court and enforcing consumer protection law. Brown, a former lieutenant governor and congressman, became the state’s first Black attorney general when he took office in 2023.
Both begin new four-year terms in January. Counting continues in the meantime; St. Mary’s scheduled a mail-in canvass for Nov. 5, provisional ballots Nov. 12 and a final canvass Nov. 13, according to a county release. For the full picture of how the region voted, see the Chronicle’s roundups for Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s.
