Too Close To Call: Haire Leads McMillan In GOP Race For AA County Exec

As the votes continue to be counted, Republican candidates Jessica Haire and Herb McMillan remained hopeful while thanking their supporters.

Nikki Gaskins, Patch Staff

Posted Wed, Jul 20, 2022 at 12:17 pm ET|Updated Thu, Jul 21, 2022 at 1:52 pm ET

In Maryland, it could potentially take days, or even longer, to determine the winners in the most closely contested races, the Associated Press reported. Maryland law prohibits counties from opening mail ballots until the Thursday after election day. (Jacob Baumgart/Patch)

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Republican race for Anne Arundel county executive is still too close to call, with just a few percentage points separating GOP candidates Jessica Haire and Herb McMillan one day after Maryland's primary elections.

As of 12 p.m. Wednesday, Haire was leading fellow GOP candidates with 12,321 votes (43.09%). Herb McMillan was close in second place with 11,457 votes (40.07%). John J. Grasso (3,484 votes), Fernando Berra, III (835 votes) and Chris Jahn (495 votes) remained far behind.

The Democratic incumbent, Steuart Pittman, has 22,530 votes. He is running unopposed and will ultimately face the winning GOP candidate during the Nov. 8 general election.

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Haire is currently serving her first term as a councilwoman for District 7 on Anne Arundel County Council. During her election campaign for county executive, she has touted her "eight-point plan" aimed at improving leadership to the county.

Some of the highlights from that plan include cutting property taxes by three percent, partnering with the state to offer retiree tax credits and partnering with the state to eliminate the automatic gas tax increase tied to inflation, according to her website.

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Following Tuesday's primary, Haire remained cautiously hopeful.

"With a very grateful heart, thank you for your support during early voting and on election day! Mail-in ballots are still to be counted, and I’ll report back here once those are in!" Haire posted to Facebook following Tuesday's primary.

Jessica Haire Campaign Video:

McMillan is a United States Naval Academy graduate and Navy veteran. He is also a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 30 in Anne Arundel County.

If elected, he's vowed to cut local income tax by 12 percent, increase police presence in neighborhoods victimized by criminals, focus on responsible development in the county and restore transparency within county government, according to his website.

With the votes still being counted, McMillan remained optimistic and thanked his supporters.

"The race for County Executive is too close to call, and is going to mail-in ballots, which will be counted on Thursday. We remain optimistic going into the final phase of the primary election," McMillan posted to Facebook. "Anne Arundel County Voters deserve a leader they can trust to fight for them -and I always will. I’m so appreciative of the voters, supporters, volunteers, and donors who got us here. Keep the Faith- as one of my favorite Navy heroes, Captain James Lawrence said, 'Fight her till she sinks- and don’t give up the ship.'"

Herb McMillan Campaign Video:

In Maryland, it could potentially take days, or even longer, to determine the winners in the most closely contested races, the Associated Press reported. Maryland law prohibits counties from opening mail ballots until the Thursday after election day.

The Maryland State Board of Elections expects to certify the final results during the week of Aug. 8.