After the long and arduous process that was this year’s presidential election, Americans finally gathered at the polls on November 8th to choose the nation’s next president. Although the presidential election took much of the spotlight, people across the country also chose candidates to fill a variety of important positions in local and state-wide offices.
Maryland, a traditionally Democratic state, had predictably Democratic results. The presidential race in Maryland saw 60.5% of the votes cast go to Hilary Clinton, while just 35.3% went to Donald Trump. In Montgomery County, Clinton gained 75.9% of votes, while Trump only gained only 20.3% of the vote.
Aside from the presidential election, Marylanders decided on candidates for seats in the Senate, the House of Representatives, and other important positions. In a widely watched Senate race, Democrat – and current member of Congress – Chris Van Hollen easily defeated Republican candidate Kathy Szeliga, for the right to replace Senator Barbara Mikulski, who has served in Congress for more than thirty years.
In the race for Congress in Maryland District 3, where Paint Branch is located, Democratic incumbent John Sarbanes kept his seat in the House of Representatives, beating out Republican candidate Mark Plaster.
In the race for Montgomery County Board of Education, former Paint Branch Principal Jeanette Dixon beat incumbent Philip Kauffman. Rebecca Smondrowski and Shebra Evans also won their respective races for positions on the Montgomery County Board of Education, which will definitely have some different perspectives in the upcoming year.