Democrat Cat Carter flips county council seat in historically Republican district

COOKSVILLE, Md. — Voters in Howard County flipped the county council seat blue for the first time in decades Tuesday night, electing Democrat Cat Carter in District 5, a historically Republican district.

Carter defeated Republican candidate Ryan O'Connor by about 1,500 votes, or 6 percentage points. O'Connor blames the "Blue Wave" of the 2026 midterms, despite his more moderate stance.

“I think that’s ultimately why we lost was the ‘Blue Wave’ that took across the nation and the anti-Trump sentiment," O'Connor told WMAR-2 News' Blair Sabol. "I think I was stereotyped as, you know, having a 'R' letter around my neck. Unfortunately, it was an uphill battle but I was more than happy to try it."

Carter is a publicly-financed candidate who ran on a platform of advocacy, schools, and smart growth. Her victory marks a turning point for Howard County, which will now have a Democratic supermajority on council.

The last time this happened was in 1986, when all seats were at large. Carter will also be the first woman to represent the western district.

Election Day marked another historic first, as former state delegate and now county executive-elect Democrat Vanessa Atterbeary became the county's first African-American woman to hold the position. Atterbeary credits Carter for flipping the seat.

"I think the residents of District 5 sent a clear message the same message that was sent across this country last night," Atterbeary said. "Was it part of a blue wave? Yes, but I also think it was just also Kat's determination and grit and she's been at it a long time."

"She ran a heck of a campaign. She put in a lot of sweat equity. She knocked on a lot of doors," O'Connor said. "I wish her all the best."

O'Connor expressed no hard feelings, but said he still worries about the future of the county.

"I am deeply concerned about having a one-party rule. There won't be any checks and balances here locally in government anymore," O'Connor said.

Atterbeary, however, said she doesn't expect that to be the case.

"I learned in Annapolis that just because you're in the same party doesn't mean you're always going to agree and you're not always going to be able to get things done just because you're in the same party," she said. "But what I'm hoping, is that we all want to get to the same end zone. It's just about how do we get there."

WMAR-2 News reached out to Carter for an interview, but the council member-elect was unavailable on Wednesday.

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