Calvert Sheriff Mike Evans is back in the driver’s seat for four more years
Prince Frederick, MD – Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans is preparing for his fourth consecutive four-year term in office. While Evans’ previous three victories were cakewalks, the 2014 General Election proved to be a battle for the Republican. His opponent, Democrat Craig Kontra, proved to be formidable.
After the votes from Calvert’s 23 precincts were counted Tuesday evening, Nov. 4, Evans clung to a 500 vote lead with an estimated 800 absentee ballots to be counted Thursday. While most local political pundits assumed Evans’ lead would withstand the absentee count, the sheriff attended the Nov. 6 absentee count at the Calvert Board of Elections.
When Election Administrator Gail Hatfield announced the numbers, Evans’ lead over Kontra had expanded by 141 votes and now stands at 656.
“We’ve done everything we can do,” said Kontra Tuesday morning while greeting voters at the Calvert County Fairgrounds.
“It’s humbling,” said Evans, who expressed gratitude that a majority of the voters expressed confidence in him. “I’m going to work hard to keep everybody safe over the next four years.”
On a night when many incumbents were winning handily in Calvert, the lead in the race between Kontra and Evans changed hands a few times. Kontra came out on top in early voting and outpolled Evans in 10 precincts. The incumbent surged to victory, however, when tallies from the Third Election District rolled in.
Evans said on Election Night he considered the close race “a wakeup call for me. I’m going to make some changes.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com