Despite remaining firmly blue in its overall voting patterns, Maryland saw a shift from 2020 toward Donald Trump in this election, with all but one county swinging in the direction of the president-elect.
The red-shifting counties saw more Trump voters by degrees ranging from fractions of a percentage point to more than four points, according to a Capital News Service analysis of unofficial election results published on Nov. 13 by the Maryland State Board of Elections.
CNS analyzed data from the state board to find out what percentage of voters in each county voted for Trump in the 2020 and 2024 elections.
The counties that shifted the most toward Trump were Cecil (4.1 points up for Trump) and Somerset (4 points up). The county that moved away from Trump was heavily Republican Garrett (just over one point down).
The county-level results added up to a noteworthy statewide swing. According to the board, President Joe Biden won the state by more than 33 points in 2020; with 94% of the vote counted, Kamala Harris led Trump by just 26 points.
The solidly blue state nevertheless contributed to Trump’s strong showing in the national popular vote. Trump made inroads in both Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning counties across Maryland, a trend that also manifested in swing states like neighboring Pennsylvania.
In other words, Maryland – though it voted solidly for Harris – was still a part of the national red wave Democratic leaders are now grappling with.
“I know this isn’t a result that a majority of Marylanders hoped for,” Democratic Gov. Wes Moore told his cabinet after the outcome was clear, according to remarks released by his office. “But this is a result we have prepared for.”
In Maryland, some of Trump’s biggest gains came in counties that stand among the most liberal-leaning in the state. He took home 22% of the vote in the Democratic stronghold of Montgomery County, up 3.5 points from 2020.
Other heavily Democratic-leaning areas also inched towards Trump, including Prince George’s County, Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
Garrett County, the lone county that did not show improvement for Trump, continued a very slight trend away from the former president.
Despite a disappointing result for his party, Moore promised to continue his efforts to improve Maryland under Trump.
“We are ready to work with the incoming administration to ensure that Marylanders are protected,” Moore said, “and our goal to make this Maryland's decade has not changed one bit.”
He also urged unity, stressing that the shared identity of hailing from Maryland outweighs partisan affiliation.
“I know there are people in our state who voted for Donald Trump – and there are people in our state who voted for Kamala Harris,” Moore said. “The common denominator is that they are all Marylanders. And they will all be defended, they will be protected, and they will be heard.”