Carroll County’s race for top prosecutor went right down to the wire, with Republican George Psoras narrowly topping Special Counsel Allan Culver in a primary that turned into one of the county’s tightest local contests of the 2026 season. With no Democrat on the November ballot, Psoras now has a clear path to take over the state’s attorney’s office this fall.
According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, final canvass results in Carroll County showed Psoras with 7,813 votes to Culver’s 7,630, giving Psoras a 176-vote edge once the dust settled.
Candidates' backgrounds
Psoras, a veteran trial lawyer with decades of experience in criminal defense practice, campaigned on a hands-on approach to prosecutions and stronger support for victims, according to his campaign site. Culver, a long-time Carroll County prosecutor, currently serves as Special Counsel to State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker, per the Carroll County State’s Attorney Office's executive team page. Both men were vying for an open seat after Shoemaker signaled he would not seek another term.
What the result means locally
The county voters' guide listed only two Republicans, Culver and Psoras, on the ballot for state’s attorney, leaving the eventual GOP nominee without a Democratic opponent in November, according to the Community Media Center. That lack of opposition is a big part of why local coverage has already treated Psoras as the likely successor to Haven Shoemaker, a point also noted in reporting by The Baltimore Sun.
Next steps: canvass, certification and recount rules
Local boards of canvassers were scheduled to begin the mail-in ballot canvass and certification process on July 6, 2026, with statewide certification deadlines later in July, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Maryland procedure allows candidates to request recounts in a short window after certification, but state-funded recounts are generally limited to much narrower margins, according to a national overview of canvass and recount rules. County officials are expected to post certified tallies after the canvass is complete and any recount requests are resolved.
