After a heated, months-long local election cycle, the Cambridge mayoral runoff election was held on Dec. 3 between candidates Andrew Bradshaw, a former mayor of Cambridge, and Lajan Cephas, the current city commission president. Cephas defeated Bradshaw by a 787 (53%) to 697 (47%) vote margin. 

The polling place, located in downtown Cambridge, closed at 7:00 P.M. Throughout the day, both candidates sign-waved and electioneered near the voting location on opposite sides of the street. 

At approximately 9:00 P.M., as ballots were being counted on a platform called “Town Hall Streams,” Bradshaw released a concession video on his official campaign Facebook profile. 

“I wanted to give congratulations to Commission president Lajan Cephas, who it’s looking as though [she’s] going to be Mayor Cephas,in January, 2025,” he said. “I wanted to let her know that she has the ability to be a great leader [and] that the mantle now falls upon her to lead the city.”

Bradshaw went on to express his thoughts regarding the campaign he and his supporters ran. 

“As disappointed as I am, I am proud that we went ahead and ran what was [a] clean campaign, we didn’t get into the gutter, and we really tried to do the best that we could to ensure it was a campaign about the issues facing Cambridge,” Bradshaw said. 

In a victory post released at about 11:00 P.M., Cephas expressed her gratitude to the city for the election outcome and desire to represent Cambridge to the best of her ability. 

“I am excited to collaborate with the city council as we strive to create a brighter future for all residents, from our youngest to our oldest,” she said. “Together, we will position Cambridge as the jewel of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where we achieve what once seemed impossible.”

Cephas’ official victory video included a collage of statements which she and others have released, including descriptions of the election, outreach to different groups and city council releases, with music and a flashing “Congrats!” graphic. The first slide in the video, a Letter to the Editor, featured an attack on Bradshaw for a scandal which occurred in 2022. 

“Andrew Bradshaw, our once but I hope not future mayor, is running on a platform of Back to Business,” the letter stated in its first paragraph. 

The inclusion of the attack in the introduction to the victory announcement video demonstrates the negative campaign tactics which defined the Cambridge mayoral election. Additionally, although the race is non-partisan, some candidates received social media promotion from established political parties. 

At 8:48 A.M. on Dec. 3, the Maryland Democratic Party released a Facebook advertisement encouraging Cambridge residents to vote for Cephas in the election. 

Ryan Phillips, a Cambridge resident, commented on the post.

“What? Isn’t this a non-partisan election? Any mayor should know that,” he said. 

The first social media advertisement released for Cephas on the Maryland Democratic Party page was Nov. 26, which also featured a graphic attacking Bradshaw. Bradshaw did not receive promotion from any established political parties in the state.

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By COLIN McEVERS

Editor in Chief

Featured graphic courtesy: Colin McEvers/The Bury Post