Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
GERMANTOWN, Md. – Three days after polls closed on Election Day, Democrat April McClain Delaney on Friday declared victory over Republican Neil Parrott in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District race.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust the people of Maryland’s 6th District have placed in me,” McClain Delaney said in a statement. “Since the beginning of this campaign, our message has been clear: it’s time for common sense, common ground leadership that puts people over politics, defends our freedoms and values, and builds a future centered on unity.”
Decision Desk HQ, which projects election outcomes, called the 6th District for McClain Delaney at 9:50 p.m. Thursday as the day’s tallies came in. CNN and NBC also have called the race for the Democrat. However, the Associated Press had yet to declare a winner as of Friday afternoon.
The AP called the races for the other seven congressional districts in Maryland by 10:19 p.m. on election night.
Parrott did not concede Friday, issuing a statement saying: “I want everyone to know that I am extremely grateful for the huge amount of work that was put into this campaign by volunteers in all five counties. As a result of this effort and sacrifice, the Parrott Campaign will wait until all the votes are counted before declaring victory or defeat.”
The 6th District race was a rare phenomenon in Maryland: a competitive contest. That was clear as results came in Tuesday night showing McClain Delaney and Parrott in a neck-and-neck struggle. When counties across the state resumed canvassing additional mail-in votes on Thursday morning, the gap between the two candidates was tight – separated by just over 300 votes.
But by Friday afternoon, McClain Delaney’s lead jumped to nearly 10,000 – winning 51.18% of counted ballots to Parrott’s 48.61%.
With the results of several congressional contests still outstanding, the outcome of the 6th District race will help determine whether the Democrats or the Republicans will control the House. The GOP is set to control the Senate and the White House, making the House the last remaining obstacle to a Republican trifecta.
The 6th District – which stretches from rural Western Maryland to the Montgomery County suburbs – has been represented by a Democrat since 2013.
McClain Delaney and Parrott fought to replace Rep. David Trone, D-Maryland, who opened up the seat to run unsuccessfully in the Senate primary.
Counties in Maryland stopped tabulating ballots Wednesday but resumed counting mail-in ballots Thursday morning. Those ballots could be postmarked or dropped in ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day, and can be received as late as 10 a.m. on Nov. 15. Counties begin counting provisional ballots – votes that require additional verification before being counted – on Nov. 13, according to a State Board of Elections schedule.
Thousands of mail-in ballots and provisional ballots remain to be counted. As of Friday afternoon, McClain Delaney was leading mail-in ballots already counted across the district with nearly 72% of counted mail-ins.
Matthew Klein, U.S. House and governors analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said on Wednesday that he anticipated late vote counts from mail-in ballots would continue to swing towards McClain Delaney and secure her the seat.
Over 55% of all mail-in ballots in the 6th District were requested by registered Democrats, compared to about 23% by Republicans and 22% by unaffiliated and third-party voters, according to data from the State Board of Elections.
About three out of four mail-in ballots requested in the 6th District for this year’s election were in Frederick and Montgomery counties, where the AP estimated the largest number of uncounted ballots remain – and most of those requests were from registered Democrats.
Delaney’s mail-in advantage was strongest in Montgomery County – which lies partially within the 6th District’s boundaries – where over 62% of mail-in ballots in the district were requested by Democrats compared to just over 13% by Republicans.
By 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening, over 140,000 mail-in ballots across Montgomery County had been received from voters and nearly 80,000 had been counted, according to data from the State Board of Elections.
Gilberto Zelaya, community engagement and public relations officer for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, said late Thursday evening that the county counted over 13,000 additional mail-in ballots that day – though not all of those ballots were from voters in the 6th District.
The county’s next canvass is scheduled for Saturday.
Before Thursday, Frederick County had already counted 15,000 ballots and had an additional 20,000 ready to be counted, Barbara Wagner, the county’s election director, told CNS on Thursday.
Frederick County had about 5,000 provisional ballots left to count, Wagner said.
Wagner said the county board of elections expects to hit its deadline to finalize vote counts by Nov. 15. Zelaya wasn’t sure if the same could be said about Montgomery County, which he said usually requests extensions.
Maryland’s State Board of Elections also released a statement on Friday warning that “due to the high volume of mail-in ballots and a historic number of provisional ballots, certification by the local board of canvassers may not be achieved by November 15.”
Election officials noted that even if news organizations call the race for one candidate as additional tallies come in, all eligible votes will be counted – and officials won’t declare a winner until then.
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