Rep. Sarah Elfreth cruises through Democratic House primary in Maryland as projected winner

Katharine Wilson, The Baltimore Sun on Jun 24, 2026

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BALTIMORE — Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth, an Annapolis resident, is the projected winner of the Democratic primary to continue representing Maryland’s District 3 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Elfreth was sworn in to the U.S. House in January 2025 after Rep. John Sarbanes chose not to seek reelection. Before Congress, Elfreth represented the Annapolis area in the Maryland Senate.

The congresswoman had 73.5% of votes tallied on election night. The tally included early voting, primary day voting and mail-in ballots counted by June 17. Elfreth faces four opponents in the Democratic primary, all of whom have less than 10% of the tallied vote.

The Associated Press called the race for Elfreth at 8:21 p.m., soon after polls closed at 8 p.m.

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Elfreth entered office the same month President Donald Trump began his second term. After the November midterm elections, Elfreth told the Capital Gazette that she believes Democrats will be in the congressional majority again.

“I think it’s going to be a totally different atmosphere,” Elfreth said in an interview. “It’s been a really tough Congress. It’s been a really tough 18 months for Americans, and I’m excited to be in that majority next year to continue delivering legislatively, budget wise, to fight back against this Trump administration.”

The Republican frontrunner is Berney Flowers, an Air Force veteran, with 48.78% of the tallied vote. The Associated Press projected Flowers as the GOP winner Tuesday around 10:30 p.m.

Elfreth’s vote count as tallied so far, 38,453, is more than double the total votes already counted in the district’s House Republican primary: 17,803.

The 3rd Congressional District covers all of Howard County and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties.

Elfreth is a vice ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and serves on the House Armed Services Committee. The congresswoman is also a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors.

Elfreth said that her accomplishments so far in office are constituent services, including responding to about 2,500 cases, and legislative work impacting veterans and active service members.

—Benjamin Rothstein contributed reporting.

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