Montgomery County Voters Switch Back To Democrat In MD Governor's Race

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A steady stream of voters showed up at polling stations in Bethesda and Potomac Tuesday morning, with statewide and local races and a host of other measures on the ballot.

The overwhelming majority of voters interviewed by Patch at the Walt Whitman High School precinct in Bethesda voted for the Democratic candidates in both statewide and local races. At the voting precinct at Potomac Elementary School on River Road, voters were more divided in who they picked for statewide and county offices.

Many residents who voted for Democrat Wes Moore for governor over Republican Dan Cox said they voted for Republican Larry Hogan in previous gubernatorial elections. Moore has been endorsed by former President Barack Obama, while Cox has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

The vast majority of voters at the two precincts said they voted in favor of the ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal. Some said they were surprised that Maryland was not one of the states at the forefront of the legalization movement.

“I do think for those over 21, it should be legal,” a voter told Patch.

Another voter who has lived his whole life in Montgomery County and who voted for Democrats for all statewide offices was one of the few voters interviewed who did not support the ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal.

“I voted against that because I have family who live in Colorado and their experience is that it attracted a lot of crime and joblessness,” the voter said.

Ten years ago, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 to legalize recreational marijuana, paving the way for Colorado to be the first state to allow commercial sales to adults ages 18 and older.

Another resident who voted for Hogan in the previous two elections for governor said he thought Cox was too extreme. The voter, from Bethesda, said his votes for Hogan were the first time in his life that he had voted for a Republican.

In the 2014 election, the resident said he voted for Hogan for “selfish reasons” — because Hogan opposed construction of the Purple Line as a candidate.

The Bethesda resident also said he voted in favor of the marijuana ballot measure. “I don’t smoke — I’m an oral surgeon — but my kids do,” he said.

READ ALSO: Montgomery County Election 2022: Sullivan Vs. Elrich For Executive

Another voter said he voted straight Democratic for the first time in his life. He voted for Hogan in previous elections in Maryland and voted for Republicans when he lived in New York.

“I am a Democrat, but I usually have thought that the best form of governing is a fairly balanced representative democracy that has good input from both sides, well-meaning people coming together to solve problems, which we do not have currently and one party has no interest in it whatsoever,” the Montgomery County resident said.

A 27-year-old, who had just finished casting her ballot at Potomac Elementary School, told Patch that she was voting in her first election.

“Up until all these really important issues were on the ballot, younger people really didn’t have a reason to care,” she said. “And now it’s gotten to the point where every election is so big.”

The woman, who is in graduate school at the University of Maryland, noted that schools previously did not give students election day off, unlike they do today.

Abortion rights, climate change and “the violence coming from the Republican Party” were some of the issues that made her want to vote in her first election, she said.

“Young people are tired of it,” she said. “In a way, it’s good it has gotten to this point because it’s gotten people 18 to 25 to care, to turn out to vote. We used to think only the presidential election mattered. Everyone I know is voting. It’s all over social media — TikTok, Instagram, everyone is pushing the vote. People care now because we’re at the point where we have to defend our rights.”

A campaign volunteer for the Cox campaign told Patch that she believes the United States is moving in the wrong direction and appreciates Cox’s support for the U.S. Constitution.

Among local issues, a voter said Montgomery County’s “Thrive 2050” long-term plan for county growth was a key issue for him. He voted for the re-election of County Executive Marc Elrich because he agreed with Elrich's stance that the "Thrive 2050" plan had many flaws and that county officials should have taken more time to fix those flaws before voting to approve it.

The Montgomery County Council approved the 30-year growth plan in late October. It calls for denser development, including a recommendation to allow duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes.

Elrich, a Democrat, is running against Republican Reardon Sullivan for Montgomery County executive.

Polls will be open on Tuesday until 8 p.m. Patch will report on local Montgomery County and statewide election results when polls close.

RELATED: Voter Guide 2022: Montgomery County Board Of Education Races