Anne Arundel school board primary returns start to show fall matchups
The day after the primary election, the field of candidates for the Anne Arundel County school board is close to being narrowed down to the two per district who will be on November’s ballot.
District 1, responsible for North County High School, and currently represented by Gloria Dent, remains up for grabs.
Dent was appointed to the seat in 2021 to replace Candace Antwine, who died that year.
Dent is currently in the lead in field of four, with 33% of the vote as of noon Wednesday.
2024 Maryland primary: Live returns for Anne Arundel, congressional races
Close behind her is Sarah Lacey, a former County Council member and state Senate candidate, with 26% of the vote. Lacey dropped out of the race in March and should she maintain second place will be replaced by whomever comes in behind her.
Third place is a close race between Hunter Voss, an economist, and Cierra Harlee, a Baltimore City public school teacher and parent of Anne Arundel County students.
Voss currently holds a 300 vote lead over Harlee.
District 3, covering Northeast and Chesapeake high schools, doesn’t have an incumbent. It’s currently represented by Corine Frank, school board vice president, who is not running for reelection.
Erica McFarland, a school volunteer, currently has 33% of the vote.
Close behind her is Chuck Yocum, an Anne Arundel County public school employee for the last 36 years. He garnered 29% of the votes and holds a 400-vote lead over Julia Laws, who is in third place.
Jamie Hurman-Cougnet, a Pasadena resident, is in fourth place with just over 11% of the vote.
District 4, responsible for Arundel and Meade high schools, also doesn’t have an incumbent. Melissa Ellis, its current representative, is not seeking reelection.
Sarah McDermott, a state government employee and Air Force veteran, holds a strong lead with 57% of the vote.
Her closest competitor is Stephanie Mutchler, a Odenton resident, who has 24% of the vote.
Mutchler is likely headed to the general election, as she holds about a 500-vote lead against the third-place candidate, Juan Carlos Villao, who is from Laurel.
District 5, which includes Severna Park, Severn and Broadneck high schools, was thought to be a competitive race between incumbent Dana Schallheim and challenger LaToya Nkongoloa, a former Republican House of Delegates candidate from Severna Park.
However, Schallheim, who was elected in 2018, holds 62% of the vote.
The two are likely to face off again in the general election as Nkongoloa has garnered 3,100 votes, far more than the third-place candidate, Tareque O. Farruk, an Annapolis resident.
In January, Nkongolo was cited for drunken driving, according to court records, and ordered to pay $150 in fines.
Districts 2, 6 and 7 have candidates who are either running unopposed or were automatically advanced to the November 4 general election.