Raaheela Ahmed’s second run for the Maryland State Senate came to an end Tuesday night as incumbent Ron Watson held off her challenge in the Democratic primary for District 23. Results showed Watson pulling ahead as votes continued to be counted.
With 69.5% of the expected vote in, Watson had secured 9,170 votes — 55.3% — to Ahmed’s 7,406 votes, or 44.7%.
Ahmed, a longtime community advocate, former Prince George’s County Board of Education member and democracy organizer, had built her public career around educational equity, civic engagement, and government accountability. In 2022, she had come within 4% of Watson in her first Senate bid.
She first entered electoral politics as an 18-year-old in 2012, losing that race by 3%, before returning the following cycle to secure a grassroots victory with 32,000 supporters. She was subsequently re-elected to the Board of Education in 2020.
On the campaign trail this cycle, Ahmed drew firm lines on issues that matter most to Prince George’s County residents. On data centers, she was unequivocal. “I do not support the expansion of data centers. They can bring in tax revenue, but their energy, water, and land use impacts are too huge,” she said, adding that if expansion proceeds, she would push for “strong statewide standards — requiring renewable energy use, water protections, grid upgrades paid for by developers, and meaningful community input.”
On utility costs, she pointed to structural failures. “Utility costs are rising due to reliance on fossil fuels, grid strain from large energy users like data centers, aging infrastructure, and insufficient consumer protections,” Ahmed said. “Maryland must accelerate renewable energy, expand energy efficiency, strengthen oversight of utilities, and ensure high-consumption industries pay their fair share so residents are not subsidizing increased demand on the grid.”
READ: Maryland District 23 candidate Raaheela Ahmed on education, transparency, and public service (June 11, 2026)
Over the course of her campaigns and time on the school board, Ahmed visited more than 15,000 homes and attended over 500 community meetings. Her campaign had described her vision plainly: “a future where our community thrives — with equitable schools, a strong democracy, affordable healthcare and housing, a healthy environment, and a justice system that works for everyone.”
Watson, who was appointed to the District 23 Senate seat in 2021 and reelected in 2022, is vice chairman of the Prince George’s County Senate Delegation and serves on the Education, Energy and Environment Committee. With no Republican candidate in the race, he advances to the November general election uncontested.