Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is running for reelection in 2022. The Maryland Democrat made the announcement on his Facebook page Tuesday morning. “In these challenging times, I’ve been inspired by how the people of Howard County have pulled together and helped one another. We are definitely moving in the right direction, but there is still more to do to keep Howard County on the road to recovery,” Ball said in his video announcement. He’s currently wrapping up his first term. Ball became the executive in 2018 after beating the incumbent Republican Allan Kittleman.

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Ball is the first African American to hold the position and he served as a councilman in Howard County for over a decade before running for the top spot. He is the first candidate to make a public announcement for the race. Howard County is considered a swing county. Since 1990, voters have elected three Democrats and two Republicans for executive. Ball made news earlier this year after he ended the county’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.