Nino Mangione Wins Baltimore County Council Race

Nino Mangione won a narrow victory in Baltimore County Council’s District 5 race on November 3, beating Democratic challenger Shawn McIntosh. Mangione received 48.72 percent of the vote, compared with McIntosh’s 45.16 percent.

Baltimore Voters Back Tough-on-Crime Republican With High-Profile Family Tie

Nino Mangione’s win gives a law-and-order message a seat on the Baltimore County Council. The Republican defeated Democrat Shawn McIntosh in District 5 on November 3, taking 48.72 percent of votes to McIntosh’s 45.16 percent.

Mangione made violent crime and harsher penalties central to his campaign. His website says violent crime is increasing in the county and calls for violent offenders to serve maximum sentences. His victory comes despite an unusual family connection: Luigi Mangione, his first cousin, admitted in federal court to shooting UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.

The case surrounding Thompson’s December 2024 killing remains active in state court. Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges, but his state murder prosecution is contested; his lawyers have sought to have it dismissed on double-jeopardy grounds.

Nino Mangione previously held a seat in Maryland’s state legislature beginning in 2019, leaving in June 2026 to fill a vacant council seat. The election was his first chance to win that council position through a public vote. His narrow margin underscores that the campaign’s focus on punishment and public safety won support, even as the family connection puts that message in a striking context.

Baltimore County Voters Choose Mangione’s Public-Safety Message

Baltimore County voters gave Republican Nino Mangione a narrow but clear victory in District 5, backing a campaign centered on public safety and consequences for violent crime. Mangione won 48.72 percent of the vote on November 3, ahead of Democrat Shawn McIntosh’s 45.16 percent.

Mangione’s campaign emphasized murders, shootings, carjackings and robberies, and promised support for law enforcement and maximum penalties for violent offenders. The result gives him an elected mandate after he entered the council in June to fill a vacancy.

The win follows years in state government: Mangione held a seat in Maryland’s legislature beginning in 2019 and left in June 2026. The race was his first public election for the council seat, and voters chose him over a Democratic challenger as he pressed neighborhood safety as a central concern.

His first cousin Luigi Mangione admitted in August to shooting UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges related to the killing. A separate New York state murder case remains contested. Nino Mangione’s victory stands on its own local issue: a campaign arguing that violent offenders should face tougher penalties and residents’ safety should be a priority.