United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2012
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Maryland's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
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April 3, 2012 |
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The 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Maryland took place on November 6, 2012. Voters elected eight candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Maryland has a closed primary system, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election was limited to registered party members.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by March 13. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 16.[1]
- See also: Maryland elections, 2012
According to the New York Times race ratings in October 2012, one of the eight districts was considered to be in play, District 6.[2]
The Center for Voting and Democracy (Fairvote) projected that Democrats would win six districts while Republicans would win one seat. It did not make a projection for the remaining district.[3]
Primary competitiveness
Maryland tied with Utah for having the 7th most competitive congressional primaries in 2012, with 87.5% of major party primaries having been contested (14 out of 16). The national average was 54.31%.
Eight U.S. House incumbents sought re-election in Maryland in 2012. 6 of those 8 (75%) faced a primary challenger. Nationwide, 200 out of the 386 incumbents seeking re-election faced a primary challenger (51.81%).
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party held six of the eight Congressional seats from Maryland.
| Members of the U.S. House from Maryland -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 6 | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 8 | |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2012 election, the incumbents for the eight congressional districts were:
| Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Harris |  Republican |
1 |
| Chris Van Hollen |  Democratic |
8 |
| Donna Edwards | Democratic |
4 |
| Dutch Ruppersberger | Democratic |
2 |
| Elijah Cummings | Democratic |
7 |
| John Sarbanes | Democratic |
3 |
| Roscoe Bartlett | Republican |
6 |
| Steny Hoyer | Democratic |
5 |
Margin of victory for winners
There were a total of 8 seats up for election in 2012 in Maryland. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the top-two vote getters. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%.
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland, District 1 |  Andrew Harris |
35.9% | 337,760 | Wendy Rosen |
| Maryland, District 2 |  Dutch Ruppersberger |
34.5% | 295,940 | Nancy Jacobs |
| Maryland, District 3 | John Sarbanes |
37.3% | 319,859 | Eric Delano Knowles |
| Maryland, District 4 | Donna Edwards |
56.4% | 311,512 | Faith Loudon |
| Maryland, District 5 | Steny Hoyer |
41.7% | 343,820 | Anthony O'Donnell |
| Maryland, District 6 | John Delaney |
20.9% | 309,549 | Roscoe Bartlett |
| Maryland, District 7 | Elijah Cummings |
55.7% | 323,818 | Frank Mirabile, Jr. |
| Maryland, District 8 | Chris Van Hollen |
30.4% | 343,256 | Ken Timmerman |
General election candidates
| District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| 1st | John LaFerla (Write-in) Andrew Harris Muir Boda Michael Calpino Douglas Dryden Rae (Write-in) |
Andy Harris | Andrew Harris |
No |
| 2nd | Dutch Ruppersberger Nancy Jacobs Ray Bly (Write-in) Leo Dymowski |
Dutch Ruppersberger | Dutch Ruppersberger |
No |
| 3rd | John Sarbanes Eric Delano Knowles Paul Drgos, Jr. |
John Sarbanes | John Sarbanes |
No |
| 4th | Donna Edwards Faith Loudon Scott Soffen |
Donna Edwards | Donna Edwards |
No |
| 5th | Steny Hoyer Anthony O'Donnell Arvin Vohra Bob Auerbach |
Steny Hoyer | Steny Hoyer |
No |
| 6th | John Delaney Roscoe Bartlett Nickolaus Mueller |
Roscoe Bartlett | John Delaney |
Yes |
| 7th | Elijah Cummings Ty Busch (Write-in) Charles Smith (Write-in) Frank Mirabile, Jr. Ronald Owens-Bey |
Elijah Cummings | Elijah Cummings |
No |
| 8th | Chris Van Hollen Ken Timmerman Mark Grannis George Gluck |
Chris Van Hollen | Chris Van Hollen |
No |
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
- Andrew Harris
- John LaFerla (Write-in)
Michael Calpino- Muir Boda
- Douglas Dryden Rae (Write-in)
- Note: Wendy Rosen withdrew from the race following allegations of voter fraud.[4]
April 3, 2012, primary results
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2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
- Dutch Ruppersberger
- Nancy Jacobs
- Ray Bly (Write-in)
- Leo Dymowski
April 3, 2012, primary results
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- Note: Patrick McDonough[11] indicated his intent to run, but eventually decided against a run in the 2nd District.[7]
3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
April 3, 2012, primary results
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4th Congressional District
General election candidates
April 3, 2012, primary results
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- Note:Glenn Ivey filed to run, but withdrew on January 11, 2012[13]
5th Congressional District
General election candidates
April 3, 2012, primary results
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6th Congressional District
General election candidates
April 3, 2012, primary results
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- Note: Alexander Mooney[21], Christopher Shank[22], and Bud Otis[23] had indicated they would run, but eventually withdrew. Mark Shriver indicated interest in running, but never officially filed.
7th Congressional District
General election candidates
- Elijah Cummings
- Ty Busch (Write-in)
- Charles Smith (Write-in)
- Frank Mirabile, Jr.
- Ronald Owens-Bey
April 3, 2012, primary results
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8th Congressional District
General election candidates
April 3, 2012, primary results
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Race background
According to the Maryland Elections Guide 2012, published by The Baltimore Sun, Maryland "remains an overwhelmingly Democratic state, with only the 1st Congressional District as a safe bet for the GOP."[24] The 6th District was Maryland's most contested seat, with incumbent Roscoe Bartlett facing seven opponents in the Republican primary.[24]
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Maryland, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, " 2012 Presidential Election Calendar," accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ , "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Maryland," September 2012
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Democrat drops challenge to Harris after allegations she voted in two states," September 10, 2012
- ↑ The Daily Times "Challengers to face off before taking on Harris" accessed January 4, 2012
- ↑ Gazette.Net "Baltimore County businesswoman enters 1st Congressional District race" accessed January 4, 2012
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Maryland State Board of Elections "Candidate List" accessed January 19, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "elections" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Baltimore Sun "Former GOP Hill staffer to run in 2nd District" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ MyFoxDC.com "State Sen. Nancy Jacobs To Run For Congress" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 Maryland State Board of Elections "Primary Election Results 2012" accessed April 3, 2012
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun "McDonough to run for Congress in 2012" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 12.24 12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 12.29 12.30 12.31 Maryland State Board of Elections "Candidates" accessed January 3, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "source" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "source" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "source" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "source" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "source" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Baltimore Sun "Ivey withdraws from 4th Congressional District primary race" accessed January 19, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post "O’Donnell launches bid to unseat Hoyer" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Baltimore Sun "6th District candidates spar over jobs" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Gazette.net "Some Democrats concerned that congressional pick is a done deal" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post "John Delaney, David Brinkley join field gunning for Bartlett’s congressional seat" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Maryland State Board of Elections "Candidates" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call "Duncan, Shriver Among Names Floated in Maryland" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call "Roscoe Bartlett’s Chief of Staff Resigns After Reports of Run" accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call "Alex Mooney Skips Maryland Race, Signals Roscoe Bartlett Definitely Running" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ Brinkley for Congress "David Brinkley Announces Candidacy for the 6th Congressional District Press Release" accessed February 15, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post "On Md. ballot, Bartlett faces tough race, Edwards escapes challenge from Ivey" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland Election Guide 2012" accessed March 25, 2012
