Incumbent Republican State Sen. Larry E. Haines took a commanding early lead and held it against his Democratic challenger, Cynthia H. Cummings, in District 5 as Carroll County went for a majority of Republican legislators yesterday.
Democratic incumbent Del. Richard N. Dixon, seeking a fourth term in the Maryland House from District 5, was the only member of his party not to sink under the Republican tide. The district covers eastern and central Carroll, eight of the county's 14 election districts.
With all of the votes tallied, Mr. Haines had 64 percent of the vote, Ms. Cummings 36 percent.
In the District 5 House race, Republican Nancy R. Stocksdale took the lead with 23 percent of the vote, followed by Mr. Dixon with 20 percent. Ms. Stocksdale's two Republican colleagues, Joseph M. Getty and W. David Blair, were caught in a close race for the third and final seat, with Mr. Getty at 19.1 percent of the vote, Mr. Blair with 18.29 percent. With more than 1,650 absentee ballots out, the last seat still has not been decided.
The two Democrats who shared the ticket with Mr. Dixon, Ellen L. Willis and Philip R. Deitchman, trailed with 12 and 7 percent of the vote, respectively.
Taylorsville Republican Timothy R. Ferguson led Frederick Democrat George Littrell with 24 of 27 precincts in District 4, which covers western Carroll and eastern Frederick counties. Mr. Ferguson had 52 percent of the vote, Mr. Littrell 48 percent.
In subdistrict 4B, incumbent Republican Donald B. Elliott had 78 percent of the vote and challenger Roy S. Pfeiffer had 22 percent with 10 of 12 precincts in the Carroll-Frederick district reporting.
Democrat Ms. Cummings said the Republicans did an excellent job of organizing their voters. "I didn't go into this campaign expecting to win," she said. "I was facing someone with a lot of money. But I'm grateful for the support I received."
Elections judges reported steady, heavy voter turnout throughout the day after a lackluster primary election turnout, when nearly two out of three Carroll voters stayed home.
* In state Senate District 5, voters chose Mr. Haines, 56 -- who opposes abortion rights and gun control and is vice chairman of the Church of the Open Door council -- over Democrat Ms. Cummings, 52 -- who favors abortion rights and barring gun sales to minors and belongs to an Episcopal church.
The district covers central and eastern Carroll County.
Mr. Haines owns Haines Realty in Westminster. Ms. Cummings, a teacher, is president of the Carroll County Education Association.
Mr. Haines outspent Ms. Cummings by $84,000, paying out $94,000 in his effort to retain the seat he won in 1990.
Ms. Cummings spent $10,200 on her campaign.
* In state Senate District 4, Mr. Littrell, 60 -- who was elected to the House of Delegates in 1983, has focused on efforts to improve the business climate and disagrees with the religious right on some social issues -- faced Mr. Ferguson, 39, a member of the Mount Airy Full Gospel Church who says he speaks the language of the Christian right.
* The three Republicans running for District 5 delegate seats want to reduce taxes, impose tougher punishment on criminals and improve the state's business climate.
Ms. Stocksdale of Westminster, the top vote-getter by a wide margin in the Sept. 13 primary, and Mr. Blair, who lives north of Melrose, have been campaigning together. The third candidate, Mr. Getty of Manchester, ran a somewhat quieter campaign.
Ms. Stocksdale, 59, a retired teacher, has been active in local GOP politics for about a decade. She is a former member of the Carroll County Republican Central Committee and is president of the Carroll County Republican Women's Club.
Mr. Blair, 45, is an electrical engineer at Bell Atlantic Network Services in Silver Spring and a major in the Maryland Army National Guard. He won a seat on the county Central Committee in the primary and is past president of the Carroll County Republican Club.
Mr. Getty, 42, is a part-time student at the University of Maryland Law School in Baltimore and a law clerk.
* Among the Democrats running for District 5 delegate seats, Mr. Dixon, 56, is seeking his fourth term in the House and prides himself on being a fiscal conservative. He is an investment stockbroker.
Ellen L. Willis, 46, of Westminster said she has been characterized as the most liberal candidate in the race, but said she considers herself moderate.
The third Democrat, Philip R. Deitchman, 36, of Eldersburg, described himself as more conservative than Mr. Dixon.
* In District 4B, Mr. Elliott, 62, a pharmacist from New Windsor, touted his support of efforts to broaden access to health insurance and pledged to try to boost milk prices to help the state's faltering dairy industry if he is re-elected.
Mr. Pfeiffer, 40, an unlicensed home improvement contractor from Frederick County near Union Bridge, has called for public executions of convicted murderers, removal of everyone with a law degree from the court system and the restoration of small town high schools.