District 18 Incumbents Win Primary Race

Update, 10 a.m.,

With all precincts reporting, Al Carr, Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jeff Waldstreicher maintained their lead and won the primary in District 18 Delegate race. 

Gutierrez won 24.17 percent of the vote, Waldstreicher gained 22.69 percent and Al Carr received 20.74 percent.

Challengers Dana Beyer and Vanessa Atterbeary gained 16 and 13 percent of the vote respectively. Michael Heney, another contender for the delegate seat won less than thousand votes total. 

County-wide turnout, including early voting, topped out at 18 percent of registered voters, a reflection of anecdotal evidence in a slow primary election.

Original story 12 a.m.

All three incumbents for delegate in District 18 were leading with 31 precincts reporting late Tuesday evening.

Ana Sol Gutierrez led with 24 percent of the vote, with Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr at 22 percent and 21 percent, respectively. The nearest challenger, Dana Beyer had close to 17 percent of the vote.

The three current delegates, running as the "District 18 Democratic Team" along with current state Sen. Rich Madaleno, ate dinner with supporters and watched election results at Hollywood East after polls closed Tuesday evening.

"I like the communal aspect of voting in your precinct," Waldstreicher said.

He voted in his home precinct today as well as visited polling stations in Forest Glen, Temple Emanuel and Woodlin Elementary. Before the results came in, Waldstreicher said he was "cautiously optimistic," based on what he had heard from voters at the polls he visited.

Gutierrez, elected to the state house in 2002, said she was "very happy" with the turnout in heavily Latino precincts, especially considering overall low turnout for this primary. It was the first time she had sent out campaign mailers in Spanish.

She has placed a special emphasis on immigration rights during her time in state government, especially in the wake of the document law passed in Arizona.  

"I think Montgomery County has slipped back on this issue," she said, saying that she'd like to introduce a state law to prohibit racial profiling.

21,479 votes were cast in the District 18 election for delegate.

Delegate Al Carr thanked his wife Barrie for being "unofficial campaign photographer" during the candidate's speeches at Hollywood East. Carr said that working with a team this election cycle helped him be a better candidate.

"It's nice to be the candidate and talk to voters," Carr said, comparing his 2006 newcomer run with this year, adding that the District 18 team campaign staff had helped out with the "nuts and bolts" of the election process.

During his speech, Carr also brought attention to the spending of the challengers.

"We were outspent 2 to 1," Carr said. "But it's a statement about this community that cash does not beat talent."