By Adam Pagnucco.
Council Member Gabe Albornoz finished third in the council at-large primary, a step up from his fourth-place finish in the 2018 primary. This year, his best areas were in the southwest of the county along with Washington Grove and Dickerson while his worst areas were mostly in the east along with Germantown. He did well in heavily White and Asian precincts but was weaker in heavily Black precincts. That geography aligns with his cast vote data.
Here is how Albornoz voters voted in the county executive primary.
Among Albornoz voters, David Blair led Marc Elrich by four points. That’s because Blair and Albornoz shared strength in the southwest while Albornoz did not run well in Elrich’s geographic base.
Here is how Albornoz voters voted in the council at-large primary.
Aside from Albornoz himself, his voters would have elected Evan Glass, Will Jawando and Scott Goldberg, in that order. The preference for Goldberg comes from Albornoz’s performance in the southwest, which was a good area for Goldberg. Laurie-Anne Sayles was a close fifth.
In district races, over-performers among Albornoz voters included Dawn Luedtke (+9.1 points), Natali Fani-Gonzalez (+7.4 points) and Sidney Katz (+7.4 points). No district candidate under-performed by 5 points or more among Albornoz voters.
When Albornoz’s precinct performance is combined with his cast vote data, it’s apparent that he shares a base with David Blair, Andrew Friedson and Scott Goldberg. A one-seat race including one or more of these candidates along with Albornoz threatens to cannibalize votes to the detriment of all. These candidates should consider this as they formulate plans for the future.