Candidates prepare for runoff election in tight race for Mayor of Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Cambridge residents showed up on Saturday to vote for a new mayor, but the election ended in a runoff.

Candidates now prepare to settle the score on December 3rd. Current Mayor Steve Rideout said it was likely, the election was going to play out like this.

“It’s not unusual for there to be a runoff, it happened when I was elected here a couple of years ago, and when Mayor Bradshaw was elected, there was a runoff there as well.”

The two candidates are Lajan Cephas and Andrew Bradshaw. Both finished in the polls neck and neck. Cephas raked in the most votes, with 42.5%, and Bradshaw, almost 41%. To win, a candidate must’ve received 50% of the votes.

Both have experience in politics, Cephas is the current president of the Cambridge Commissioners as well as serving as an interim mayor. She said she looks forward to round 2 with Bradshaw.

“It’s like a second half of the basketball game, I need all the players to be suited up, so we can come out, so we can vote. So, we can support.” 

Bradshaw has a history in politics as well, serving as the Cambridge mayor from 2020 until 2022. He won the position due to a runoff scenario, defeating then-mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley. He intends to move forward with confidence.

“Having experienced a runoff previously, I’m confident, that I know how to strategize the circumstance and move forward. Confident that we will be able to pull off a plan that leads to success, so just looking forward to get through that and see what results will look like December 3rd.”

Rideout advises both candidates to ramp up outreach, and campaign even harder with the extra time.

“I’ll tell you; I exhausted myself, I walked the whole city, knocking on doors, handing out literature, talking to people.”

The runoff election is Tuesday, December 3rd. Both candidates encourage Cambridge residents to get involved and vote.