Angela Alsobrooks, the first female prosecutor and youngest state’s attorney ever elected in Prince George’s County, will become the jurisdiction’s first woman to lead as county executive.
Alsobrooks ran unopposed for the position in Tuesday’s general election after Republican Jerry Mathis dropped out of the race to support Alsobrooks.
In the Democratic primary this summer, the 47-year-old prosecutor defeated eight other candidates who sought the nomination with about 62 percent of the vote. Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 10 to 1 in the county.
Alsobrooks, who still received 257,319 votes out of 266 of 288 precincts reporting unofficially, will replace current County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, who’s term-limited.
“To be the top executive of a county as dynamic as Prince George’s County is a huge undertaking and I am so humbled that Prince Georgians trust me to lead,” Alsobrooks said. “I’m anxious to do a great job and I understand what that entails because I know more than anyone what it requires to be a countywide elected official.”
Alsobrooks has been the face of the fight against domestic violence in the county, often assisting victims affected in various cases.
She said her work in the office compares to constituent services she’ll partake in the county such as improving the school system, advocating for improved health care and expand county tax base.
“We’ve done so much of that in the prosecutor’s office. It is such a customer-oriented profession,” she said. “We encounter citizens every day and at their lowest point. I am very well accustomed to interacting with Prince Georgians.”
Another Black woman, former state delegate Aisha Braveboy, will replace her in the state’s attorney’s office. According to unofficial results with 266 out of 288 precincts reporting in the county’s election office, Braveboy received 249,966 votes.
Although no other candidates were on the ballot, attorney Bruce Johnson’s write-in campaign received 3,303 votes.
Meanwhile, Prince George’s County Councilman Mel Franklin (D-District 9) of Upper Marlboro and Calvin Hawkins were the top two vote-getters to fill the at-large seats on the council.
Franklin, who will become the longest-serving council member once he’s sworn in next month, received 204,332 votes, according to unofficial results. Hawkins, the former senior adviser to Baker, received nearly 194,621 votes.
Felicia Folarin, the lone Republican candidate, received 35,377 votes.
Two years ago, voters approved to expand the council from nine members to 11 with the two at-large seats won Tuesday by Franklin and Hawkins.
Franklin will be replaced by Sydney Harrison, clerk of the county’s circuit court. Harrison received 34,901 votes to top Tamara Davis Brown, who ran a write-in campaign. Similar to Johnson, it shows “write-in” with 3,947 votes recorded out of 38 of 43 precincts reporting.
In the two school board races, Belinda Queen stood ahead with 13,600 votes in District 6. Vice Chairwoman Carolyn Boston with 11,947 votes, according to unofficial results from 26 out of 34 precincts. The winner will oversee an area that encompasses Largo High School, Walker Middle School and Doswell E. Brooks Elementary.
Meanwhile, voters who reside in the southern part of the county decided to retain Sonya Williams to represent District 9, which encompasses schools such as Gwynn Park High School, James Madison Middle School and Waldon Woods Elementary.
Williams received 24,194 votes, while her opponent, social studies teacher Arun Puracken, garnered 12,413 votes, according to unofficial results with 39 of 44 precincts reporting.
Voters also overwhelmingly voted in favor of all 11 questions on the ballot. Five focused on charter referendums to borrow nearly $400 million on construction and renovation projects for public works and transportation, library system, public safety, community college and county buildings.
Another question focused on a county council member’s residency. An at-large member and one of the nine who represent a district must “have been a qualified voter of Prince George’s County for at least one year immediately preceding his or her primary election.”
The remaining five questions voters approved to amend the county’s charter included: nondiscrimination against county personnel and a contractor implement County Council member as a full-position to determine compensation; appoint a county auditor to a five-year term; appoint a person temporarily to fill a county personnel vacancy for no more than year; and establish a charter review commission.