It took a week of mail-in and provisional vote counting, but the election turnaround of two Baltimore County Council districts confirms the degree to which the Blue Wave that swept Democrats into office across the country also rolled through Baltimore’s suburbs.

Two novice Democratic candidates, both women, defeated two MAGA Republican men, flipping the election-day results of the council seats in traditionally conservative areas and adding to a dramatic diversification of an all-male, nearly all-white council.

Shawn McIntosh, who trailed behind 5th District incumbent Nino Mangione on the night of the election, surpassed him by 2,190 votes to end with a 49%-44% victory.

Stretching from Lutherville-Timonium to the Pennsylvania state line, this part of the county has been represented by Republicans since 1994.

Arkia Wade, who also initially trailed her opponent, Republican Tim Fazenbaker, wound up defeating him by 193 votes, notching a 46.8% to 46.1% win in 9th District.

Wade will be the first Democrat to represent the southeast county, which includes Dundalk and Edgemere, since 2014.

Brimming with Firsts

It was an election chock-full of “firsts.”

Wade and Democrat Makeda Scott, who won northwest’s 3rd District seat, will be the first Black women to serve on the council.

Wade and Scott – along with McIntosh – are setting another record: the first time in county history that three women have been elected on the council together.

Wade is also the first Muslim to be elected to the council.

And Democrat Ruben Amaya, who handily won the 2nd District race, has made history as the council’s first Latino member.

Currently, the council is composed of six white men and one Black man, Julian E. Jones Jr., who was elected on November 3 as the first Black county executive.

Jones and the expanded nine-member council will be sworn into office on Monday, December 7.