The Nancy King – Saqib Ali District 39 Senate race was a real barn burner, but it was not the first marquee Senate race in that district. District 39 was originally located in Baltimore City, but in the wake of the 1990 Census, it became a new district in Montgomery County. It originally stretched from unincorporated Gaithersburg up to the Frederick County border and was much more rural and conservative than it is today.
The district’s inaugural Senate contest drew two formidable candidates: three-term Democratic Delegate Gene Counihan (who had represented District 15 and was redistricted) and Republican Patrick J. Hogan, an aide to Congresswoman Connie Morella. Counihan ran on a slate with three Democratic Delegate candidates, one of whom was MCEA Vice-President Charles Barkley. All four Democrats were defeated, with Counihan losing by just 8 points. But the Democrats came back and evicted all the Republican Delegates in 1998. Hogan changed his registration to Democrat in 2000, served seven more years before retiring and was replaced by Nancy King. Counihan became one of MoCo’s most respected private citizens, working with WMATA and WSSC and serving on numerous boards.
Here is Counihan’s walk piece from 1994.
