By Katie Redefer

Republican candidates for state Senate Johnny Mautz and Mary Beth Carozza — running to represent Districts 37 and 38 respectively — appeared to surpass their Democratic opponents as early voting and in-person votes were tabulated late Tuesday night.

Despite all precincts not yet reporting, and the counting of mail-in ballots in Wicomico, Dorchester, Worcester, Somerset and Caroline jurisdictions not slated to begin until Thursday, a victory for two Republican candidates appears imminent. 

With all 93 precincts reported in District 37 — which includes portions of Wicomico County and all of Dorchester, Caroline and Talbot counties — Mautz led with 65.92 percent and 25,970 votes against Democrat Naomi Hyman, who received 33.98 percent and 13,388 votes.

In July, Mautz won with 75 percent of the vote in the Republican primary election against incumbent Addie Eckardt. 

Mautz grew up in St. Michaels and Easton before graduating from the University of Dayton in 1994 and Ohio Northern University Law School in 1997. He and his family own and operate the Carpenter Street Saloon in St. Michaels.

Additionally, Mautz previously worked as a legislative lawyer for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and is a longstanding member of the House Economic Matters Committee.

A Pennsylvania native who now resides in Easton, Democratic opponent Hyman worked as an educator for more than 40 years in settings ranging from large corporations to small community-based organizations. She currently serves as the vice chair of the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee.

With 73 out of 74 precincts reported in District 38 — including portions of Wicomico and all of Worcester and Somerset counties — Carozza led by a large margin with 71.34 percent and 26,604 votes, while Democrat Michele Gregory received 28.56 percent and 10,653 votes. 

 Carozza, who is from Ocean City, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2014 and later elected to her position as state senator in 2018. Raised in Ocean City, she graduated from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

The incumbent state senator has previously held communications and management positions for members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, worked in the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Bob Ehrlich.

Democratic challenger Michele Gregory has served on the Salisbury City Council since she was elected the position in 2018. On her campaign website, she describes herself as a wife, mother of three, educator, and former small business owner. She spent 20 years working as an early childhood educator before closing her business to enter public service and become a caregiver for her adult son with special needs.