UPDATE 12:34 P.M.: JACKSON CONCEDES TO BAKER

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Michael Jackson conceded the race to Rushern Baker: "I spoke to Rushern and offered our congratulations," said Jackson. "We had a good conversation and now that the campaign is over, there is a need for unity, for finding common ground, and for coming together for the good of our County."

UPDATE 7:35 A.M: BAKER LEAD OVER JACKSON SEEMS SECURE

Rushern Baker seems likely to win the Prince George's County Executive seat, although there are no reports of a Michael Jackson concession.

We now have 97.4% of precincts reporting a Baker lead of 10,068 votes. Jackson would have to win nearly all of the 11,132 remaining uncounted votes to surpass Baker, an unlikely sceanario given Baker held a comfortable lead throughout the night.

Baker made what was essentially a victory speech at about 11:40 p.m. when less than half of the county’s precincts reported him ahead of Jackson, 44 to 31 percent. Jackson spokeswoman Karen DeWitt said an hour later that Jackson was still in the race.

“I know that all of the votes aren’t in, but I um, I think the people have spoken, and I think the message is loud and clear. Prince George’s, it’s time to make a good county great,” Baker said.

Three other candidates also unsuccessfully ran for the seat: Gerron Levi, Henry Turner, and Samuel Dean, a county councilman who had admitted in the lead-up to the race that he may chip away at Jackson’s voter base.

In fact, Dean’s 12.5 percent share of the total votes would have helped Jackson, who earned 32.6 percent.

There were no republican contenders for the seat, so Tuesday’s primary determined Jack Johnson’s successor. Johnson, who beat Baker twice to hold the county’s top job, was barred from running again because of term-limits. 

Here are the latest results from 97.4 percent of precincts (225 out of 231 total precincts):

Rushern Baker: 44 percent (38,695 votes).

Michael Jackson: 32.6 percent (28,627 votes).

Samuel Dean: 12.5 percent (10,953 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.5 percent (6,551 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.4 percent (3,006 votes).

 

UPDATE 2:17 A.M: BAKER'S LEAD REMAINS UNCHANGED

And we still have no concession from Jackson, despite 68 percent of precincts reporting returns with Baker at his nearly consistent 10-percent lead.

Rushern Baker:  43.7 percent (27,370 votes).

Michael Jackson: 32.4 percent (20,301 votes).

Samuel Dean:  12.7 percent (7,956 votes).

Gerron Levi:  7.7 percent (4,820 votes).

Henry Turner:  3.5 percent (2.206 votes). 

UPDATE 1:26 A.M: TURN OUT LOW, NO CONCESSIONS YET

In light of the Jackson camp fat-lady-singing comment (see update below), it seems the race isn't quite over. We now have 52.8 percent of precincts (122) reporting returns, with Baker still maintaining a comfortable lead:

Rushern Baker: 43.3 percent (21,366 votes).

Michael Jackson: 32.2 percent (15,860 votes).

Samuel Dean: 13.3 percent (6,547 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.6 percent (3,760 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.6 percent (1,776 votes). 

Prince George's County Board of Elections President E. Kenneth Barksdale says turn out in this year's race is low, even when compared to the last gubernatorial primary in 2006.

"They're usually low turn out, but this one seems to be particularly low," he tells TBD.

Perhaps having to choose between five candidates for the county executive seat was just too much for some voters?

UPDATE 12: 44 P.M: NO CONCESSION FROM JACKSON

Jackson's spokeswoman Karen DeWitt tells TBD that Jackson is still in the race.

“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings. My candidate hasn’t conceded," DeWitt said.

We now have 112 precincts reporting, which is 48.5 percent of total precincts county-wide:

Rushern Baker: 43.8 percent (20,155 votes).

Michael Jackson: 31.9 percent (14,667 votes).

Samuel Dean: 13.3 percent (6,144 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.5 percent (3,431 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.6 percent (1,699 votes). 

 

UPDATE 11:43 P.M: BAKER DECLARES VICTORY, LESS THAN HALF OF PRECINCTS REPORTING

Baker basically just gave a victory speech and it wrapped up as soon as new numbers keep him at a nearly 10-percentage lead ahead of Jackson.

Here are the latest numbers from 91 precincts, 39.4 percent of precincts county-wide:

Rushern Baker: 44 percent (17,024 votes).

Michael Jackson: 31.3 percent (12,097 votes).

Samuel Dean: 13.7 percent (5,249 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.6 percent (2,927 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.7 percent (1,411 votes). 

Baker said from his watch party at Six Flags America in Largo:

Tonight it begins. What we seek here is not merely a political victory. This is not the finish, this is the beginning line. Our goal is greatness. We arrive at the beginning. No matter who you voted for, whose T-shirt you wore, who you cheered for in the parade, the goal of every Prince Georgian is to make Prince George's the greatest county there is.

 

UPDATE 11:31 P.M: BAKER SAYS THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

Baker just said that at his watch party at Six Flags America in Largo that "I know that all of the votes aren’t in, but I um, I think the people have spoken, and I think the message is loud and clear. Prince George’s, it’s time to make a good county great.”

No word yet from Jackson's camp, but the latest numbers only have 36.8 percent of precincts reporting. Baker's lead has held steady, though, since voter returns first began trickling in.

UPDATE 11:25 P.M: 10 MORE PRECINCTS REPORT

We now have 85 percincts reporting, 36.8 percent of total precincts countywide, just as Baker takes the stage at his campaign watch party:

Rushern Baker: 43.9 percent (15,867 votes).

Michael Jackson: 31 percent (11,229 votes).

Samuel Dean: 13.7 percent (4,954 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.6 percent (2,745 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.7 percent (1,347 votes). 

UPDATE 11:12 P.M: BAKER TO SPEAK SHORTLY

ABC7 reports that Rushern Baker will be speaking soon from his watch party Six Flags in Largo.

UPDATE 10:50 P.M: NEW NUMBERS

Unofficial results continue to trickle in, with 75 percincts reporting, 32.5 percent of total precincts countywide:

Rushern Baker: 45 percent (14,505 votes).

Michael Jackson: 30.1 percent (9,886 votes).

Samuel Dean: 13 percent (4,187 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.6 percent (2,451 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.7 percent (1,191 votes). 

Dean's percentage continues to hold steady at 13 percent, and it may be affecting Jackson's place in the vote totals.

 

UPDATE 10:32 P.M: NUMBERS TRICKLE IN

Here's the latest from 69 precincts, 29.9 percent of the total number in the county.

Rushern Baker: 44.9 percent (13,698 votes).

Michael Jackson: 30.5 percent (9,297 votes).

Samuel Dean: 11.3 percent (4,044 votes).

Gerron Levi: 7.7 percent (2,337 votes).

Henry Turner: 3.7 percent (1,125 votes). 

Baker's total percentage has decreased slightly while Jackson's has increased slightly. Everyone else's share of the voter pie has remained steady.

UPDATE 10:17 P.M: DEAN MAY BE CHIPPING AWAY AT JACKON'S BASE

Less than a third of precincts (65, 28.1 percent of total precincts) now have unofficial results.

Rushern Baker: 12,800 votes (45.2 percent).

Michael Jackson: 8,532 votes (30.1 percent).

Samuel Dean: 3,764 votes (13.3 percent).

Gerron Levi: 2,192 votes (7.7 percent).

Henry Turner: 1,054 votes (3.7 percent). 

Baker's and Jackson's percentages have shifted slightly, with Dean's increasing a bit, too. Dean has admitted that his presence in the race may chip away at Jackson's base.

UPDATE 10:07 P.M: BAKER'S LEAD HOLDS STEADY

Baker's lead continues, with difference between him and Jackson narrowed only by 8 votes . Now 55 precincts (23.8 percent of total precincts) have reported these unofficial results:

Rushern Baker: 11,757 votes (44.9 percent).

Michael Jackson: 7,584 votes (29.6 percent).

Samuel Dean: 3,353 votes (13 percent).

Gerron Levi: 2,006 votes (7.8 percent).

Henry Turner: 936 votes (3.7 percent).

UPDATE 9:49 P.M: BAKER PULLS AHEAD

Baker continues his lead. Here are results from 51 precincts (22.1 percent of total precincts):

Rushern Baker: 11,169 votes.

Michael Jackson: 6,988 votes.

Samuel Dean: 3,211 votes.

Gerron Levi: 1,927 votes.

Henry Turner: 888 votes.

UPDATE 9:20 P.M: BAKER'S LEAD WIDENSBaker continues his lead. Here are results from 44 precincts (19 percent of total precincts):

 

Rushern Baker: 10,121 votes.

Michael Jackson: 6,421 votes.

Samuel Dean: 3,002 votes.

Gerron Levi: 1,790 votes.

Henry Turner: 821 votes.

UPDATE 9:25 P.M: BAKER STILL LEADS

We now have unofficial numbers from 32 precincts (13.9 percent of total precincts), and Baker has maintained his lead:

Rushern Baker: 8,885 votes. 

Michael Jackson: 5,393 votes.

Samuel Dean: 2,645 votes. 

Gerron Levi: 1,541 votes.

Henry Turner: 721 votes.

UPDATE 9:05 P.M: ACTUALLY, EARLY VOTING PLUS A PRECINCT

After some technical difficulites and misunderstandings, officials with the county's board of elections now say the results we just posted actually from early voting and one precinct. That one precinct, Columbia Park, brought 607 total votes.

UPDATE 8:55 P.M: EARLY VOTING RESULTS FAVOR BAKER

And we have some numbers! Early voting returns have Rushern Baker with nearly twice-as-many votes as Michael Jackson. Here are the numbers:

Rushern Baker: 6,325 votes (47 percent).

Michael Jackson: 3,539 votes (26 percent).

Samuel Dean: 1,953 votes (15 percent).

Gerron Levi: 1,086 votes (8 percent).

Henry Turner: 492 votes (4 percent).

This is all according to unofficial results from the Prince George's County Board of Elections.

UPDATE 8:25 P.M: LOW VOTER TURN OUT

The Gazette reports that voter turn out in today's Prince George's County primaries was "historically low." How this bodes for the county executive candidates is yet to be seen as we await unofficial results from precincts. Some numbers are expected within minutes.

UPDATE 8:00 P.M: POLLS CLOSED

This is it, people. The polls have now officially closed. We are standing by for the election returns.

UPDATE 5:55 P.M: ENDORSEMENTS GALORE

How much can endorsements really help a candidate? Well, for what it’s worth front-runner candidates Michael Jackson and Rushern Baker have each stacked up their fair share of them from former and soon-to-be former politicians.

The most recent endorsement for Jackson came from current County Executive Jack Johnson (D) who officially came out in support of the sheriff over the weekend.

Read more here.

UPDATE 4:40 P.M: MONEY-RELATED CONTROVERSIES

Rushern Baker, III., one of two front-runners in today’s race, hasn’t gone unscathed by controversy.

Prominent developer David Hillman made a $200,000 contribution to Baker’s campaign earlier this year, and the candidate has faced criticism ever since.

Read more here.

UPDATE 3:30 P.M: DOG-RELATED CONTROVERSIES

What do dogs have to do with today’s race? Plenty.

Sheriff Michael Jackson had to have known that in running for county executive that he would be spending a good deal of time explaining his role in his department’s 2008 shooting of a mayor’s dogs.

Read more here.

UPDATE 2:40 P.M: FAKE BALLOTS

TBD's Daniel Victor writes that fake ballots were handed out in Hyattsville this morning just as voters lined up to cast votes:

Denise Riley said she saw children handing out the ballots at Hyattsville Middle School. The group that created the ballots, Progress 2010, is associated with county executive candidate Michael Jackson, The Washington Post reported.

 

Riley says those ballots handed out today had endorsed Jackson for the county executive seat. 

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler was successful in getting a restraining order last week against some fake ballots being circulated in South County. 

UPDATE 2:30 P.M: BUDGETS AND SCHOOLS

So much energy during this year’s campaign, particularly between leading candidates Rushern Baker, III and Sheriff Michael Jackson, has been spent on defending records and against claims of mismanagement.

But a lot is at stake in today’s race. The county faces an image problem as it seeks to attract more business and development to increase the tax base. And it's tough to attract people and companies to Prince George's if the school system's reputation is less-than-stellar.

Read more here.

TODAY'S RACE

Yes, we all know the race in D.C. is interesting. But that race really only has two guys running for mayor. Over in Prince George’s County, five people all want the county’s top job, and there’s been no shortage of controversies, endorsements, and yes, even campaign songs, to wade through.

Voters have until 8 p.m. to cast their ballots for the next county executive. No republicans are running for the seat, so today’s election will determine who runs the county for the next four years.

Current County Executive Jack Johnson (D) can’t run for re-election because of term-limits. Johnson has held the seat for eight years and in that time concerns over sweet heart deals, furloughs, a struggling school system, police brutality, and the county’s image problem have largely dominated Prince George’s politics.

Two of the five candidates have pulled away from the pack: Sheriff Michael Jackson and former state delegate Rushern Baker, III. Other candidates include Del. Gerron S. Levi, businessman Henry Turner, and County Councilman Samuel Dean (who also can’t run for his current seat because of term-limits).

Baker is no stranger to running for county executive, but he certainly is to winning it. He lost both times in runs against Johnson.

And although Jackson has been elected twice in countywide races, he has to face new criticisms this time around. His department has been scrutinized over dog-shootings and other controversies.

Throughout the day, we will lay out the issues, the endorsements, the controversies, and the final results in the county executive race.