Olszewski clinches victory in Baltimore-area congressional race

Danny Nyugen

The Baltimore Banner

November 5, 2024

The Baltimore County executive will replace retiring Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, who has held the seat for two decades

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. won Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District election, according to the Associated Press, following in the footsteps of the retiring congressman he’s replacing.

Olszewski, 42 and a former public school teacher, prevailed over Republican Kim Klacik in a race that opened earlier this year when 21-year Democratic incumbent Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger announced he would retire. The district is a heavily Democratic area that includes most of the county and parts of the city and Carroll County.

Klacik, a conservative radio talk show host and outspoken advocate for former President Donald Trump, ran unsuccessfully for the 7th Congressional District four years ago. She said on social media Tuesday night that she was proud of her campaign team.

Olszewski has overseen Baltimore County for six years and was endorsed by Ruppersberger, who served as Baltimore County’s executive for eight years until his own election to the U.S. House in 2002.

At Olszewski’s Tuesday night party at Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore, his father and perhaps biggest supporter, Johnny Olszewski Sr., shook hands with and hugged people at the door.

“Haha, look at that,” Olszewski Sr. said, pointing to an attendee in an orange T-shirt that appeared to be hand-edited to read, “Congressman Johnny Olszewski. Former Baltimore County executive.”

Olszewski’s victory comes as he contends with fallout from convoluted deals that have called his management of taxpayer dollars into question

The county secretly paid a former firefighter $84,000 after backing out of a legally questionable agreement to increase the firefighter’s pension benefits. And the county was poised to spend $300,000 on a storm drain system, first proposed in 2000, in Olszewski’s Chesapeake Bay neighborhood until around 2022, when the local government shelved the project.

His camp has repeatedly said these issues are a nothingburger.

Olszewski will be sworn into Congress on Jan. 3. The county executive seat will be overseen in the short-term by Baltimore County Administrative Officer D’Andrea Walker.

The County Council will then decide who will replace Walker as a “caretaker” executive until 2026, when Olszewski’s term normally would have ended. At least six people have publicly entered the fray for that position, and the council is considering a couple more candidates.

Olszewski’s rise to the national level comes after decades in local government.

As a Maryland state delegate and Baltimore County executive, he has pushed for a local and state law that prevented income-based housing discrimination. He brought an inspector general to the county and supported a push for a larger and more diverse County Council.

Much of this work has been anchored by direct community outreach.

Olszewski said in a victory speech that he ran for Congress to be a stalwart of reproductive rights, ecological conservation and democracy.

“We have arrived at this moment the same way we’ve always done things. By doing the work together,” he said.

But his new role means he will convene with other House members about national and global issues in an arena where change can move at a glacial pace and often involves greater bureaucratic hurdles.

“Congress needs to move again,” Olszewski told The Baltimore Banner. “As executive you have a lot more latitude to work with communities and organizations to just do things. It will be more difficult.”

As the song “Johnny B. Goode” blared, he hugged family members and took a victory lap through the brewery. ”Go, Johnny, go!”