Nino Mangione, Luigi Mangione’s cousin, wins Baltimore County Council election by a narrow margin

Nino Mangione, cousin of Luigi Mangione, is leading the race for Baltimore County Council District 5 in Maryland after receiving 48.72% of the vote in the November 3 election. The Republican candidate is ahead of Democratic rival Shawn McIntosh, who has received 45.16%, according to Maryland's election results.Luigi Mangione’s cousin Nino Mangione wins a Baltimore County Council seat after a closely contested election. (Nino Mangione/Instagram)Nino has secured 16,835 votes against McIntosh's 15,607, giving him a lead of 1,228 votes. Unaffiliated candidate Cory Shaffer received 6.04% of the vote.However, the race has not been conceded, with McIntosh waiting for further mail-in ballot counting.Track the 2026 US midterm elections live here.Nino Mangione's campaign focused on crime in Baltimore CountyRising crime was one of the main issues in Nino's campaign. His website highlighted concerns about violence in Baltimore County, including shootings, murders, carjackings and robberies.Also Read: US midterm elections 2026 highlights: Democrats maintain advantage over Republicans as counting continuesHis campaign statement read: "Violent crime is increasing in Baltimore County. Every day we read or hear about another random act of violence against our citizens. Murders, shootings, carjackings, and robberies are all at record levels and are increasing every day."Nino previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates from January 2019 to June 2026. He left the state legislature on June 1 after joining the Baltimore County Council, where Republicans selected him to fill a vacant District 3 seat. He later contested the newly drawn District 5 seat in the November election.Luigi Mangione's legal case moves forwardNino's election lead comes days after his cousin Luigi Mangione's legal team renewed its request to dismiss the New York state charges against him.Luigi pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges on August 14, 2026, in connection with the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. During the federal court hearing, he admitted shooting Thompson.Also Read: ‘Trump is still your president’: White House after Democrats win big in midtermsFollowing his guilty plea, his lawyers argued that continuing the separate New York state prosecution would violate double jeopardy protections, which prevent a person from being prosecuted twice for the same offence under applicable law.Manhattan prosecutors oppose the request and intend to continue the state case. Judge Gregory Carro has scheduled a hearing on the defence motion for December 10, 2026. Luigi is also due to be sentenced in the federal case on December 18.