By Adam Pagnucco.
New Council Member Laurie-Anne Sayles finished fourth in the council at-large primary. Her best areas were a combination of Upcounty (especially Clarksburg and Germantown) and heavily Black and Latino precincts, an unusual path to an at-large seat. She was weaker in the southwest and in heavily White precincts.
Here is how Sayles voters voted in the county executive primary.
Sayles voters preferred Marc Elrich to David Blair by more than 13 points. That’s largely because Sayles voters disproportionately did not live in the southwest, which was Blair’s strongest area.
Now let’s look at how Sayles voters voted in the council at-large primary.
In addition to Sayles herself, her voters would have elected Will Jawando, Evan Glass and Gabe Albornoz, in that order. Brandy Brooks finished fifth. Sayles and Jawando both did well in heavily Black precincts.
In council district races, over-performers among Sayles voters included Kate Stewart (+11.4 points) and Fatmata Barrie (+5.1 points). Barrie is a Black woman like Sayles while Stewart dominated in Downtown Silver Spring and Takoma Park, which have substantial Black populations. Under-performers among Sayles voters included Amy Ginsburg (-9.7 points) and Marilyn Balcombe (-8.4 points). It’s notable that the Washington Post endorsed Ginsburg and Balcombe but not Sayles while the former two lacked most of Sayles’s progressive endorsements.
Council at-large races can be a bit unpredictable. At-large incumbents who have lost reelection bids include Blair Ewing (2002), Mike Subin (2006) and Duchy Trachtenberg (2010). All three faced quality opponents with lots of endorsements. To prevent that from happening if she runs for council at-large again, Sayles has to expand her 2022 base into other parts of the county. That goes double for areas like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac and Downtown Silver Spring, which have high voter turnout and lots of money for political contributions. If Sayles does not aggressively cultivate these areas, they could provide a base for a future challenger.