His election race hasn’t received an undue amount of attention in the local press, but it made headlines in news outlets as far away as India and Australia.
On Nov. 3, Republican Nino Mangione appeared poised to win his race for a Baltimore County Council seat after receiving 48.7 percent of the vote, compared to 45.2 for Democratic rival Shawn McIntosh, 6 percent for Independent Cory Shaffer and 0.08 percent for write-ins. As of Thursday, county officials were still counting mail-in ballots and McIntosh had not conceded the race.
It was the first general election since Nino Mangione was selected in the spring to serve the remainder of the term of Third District council member Wade Kach, who retired after holding the post for 12 years. Before that, 39-year-old politician was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 42A. He also hosts “The Right Side,” a conservative talk radio show on WCBM radio.
This was also the first general election since Nino’s cousin and Gilman School graduate Luigi Mangione, 28, was arrested and charged with killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024.
In August, Luigi pled guilty to the federal crimes of interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death, and he is awaiting sentencing on those charges. “I shot Mr. Thompson,” he admitted in Manhattan Criminal Court. His legal team has asked lawyers in New York State to dismiss their case against him on the grounds of double jeopardy.
Luigi Mangione’s case has received international attention, and he has become a folk hero to some who are critical of the U.S. health insurance industry and its claim denial practices. A social media darling, the valedictorian of Gilman’s Class of 2016, he has been the subject of songs, graffiti, even a musical. His next court appearances are scheduled for Dec. 10, in New York state court, and Dec. 18, when he is scheduled to be sentenced for his federal stalking charges. Prosecutors have indicated they intend to seek the maximum penalty of life in prison.
Raised in Maryland, Nino and Luigi are among the 37 grandchildren of Nicholas Mangione Sr., a self-made businessman and philanthropist who owned country clubs, nursing homes and other Maryland properties before his death in 2008.
That seems to explain why outlets such as TMZ, Newsweek, The New York Post, Hollywood Life and the Hindustan Times were interested in the Baltimore County vote results.
More than a dozen articles
Since Tuesday, Nino Mangione has been the subject of more than a dozen articles in the U.S. and abroad, and those articles have been amplified on wire services and social media sites. Most were based on results that were reported shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday and don’t reflect that ballots were still being counted on Thursday. Some say the candidate was up for re-election, when it was his first Baltimore County Council election.
Here are some of the headlines:
‘Luigi Mangione’s Cousin Nino wins Baltimore county election’ – New York Daily News.
‘Luigi Mangione’s Cousin Elected in Baltimore’ – Newsweek.
‘Luigi Mangione’s cousin wins Baltimore election’ – Washington Times.
‘Killer’s Cousin Narrowly Wins Local Election’ – TMZ.
‘Nino Mangione, Luigi’s Mangione’s Cousin, wins Baltimore County election by a narrow margin’ – Hindustan Times.
‘Luigi Mangione’s Cousin Pulls Off Narrow Election Victory in Maryland’ – mandatory.com (Australia).
‘Nino Mangione Wins Re-election in Baltimore County Amid Cousin’s High-profile Case’ – Head Topics.
‘Luigi Mangione’s Tough-on-Crime Cousin is Winning an Election While He Still Fights Murder Charges’ – Los Angeles Magazine.
‘Luigi Mangione’s family member wins Maryland election on Tuesday’ – thecomeback.com.‘
‘Luigi Mangione’s tough-on-crime cousin poised to win local Baltimore election’ – The New York Post.
‘Luigi Mangione’s Republican cousin wins local Baltimore election with tiny margin’ — Daily Mail.
‘Luigi’s Cousin Wins a Seat, And His Opponent Won’t Concede’ – biztoc.com and zerohedge.com.
‘Nino Mangione Clinches District 5 Seat With 49% Of Vote – While Accused Killer Cousin Fights Double Jeopardy Case’ – blabber.buzz/conservative.
‘Who is Nino Mangione? Luigi Mangione’s Cousin Just Won a Maryland Election’ – Hollywood Life.
Contrasts on crime
Much of this week’s coverage draws contrasts between Luigi Mangione’s shooting of the health care CEO, which he has admitted, and Nino Mangione’s reputation for being tough on crime. The articles also draw contrasts between the Mangione family’s wealth and the shooting of a wealthy health care executive, and between a law-breaker and a law-enforcer.
“Ironically enough…one of the first topics on Nino’s campaign website happens to be violent crime,” notes TMZ.
“The civicly-minded Mangione, who is Luigi’s first cousin, was up in the election by about four points, and ran a campaign promising support for law enforcement and harsher punishments for criminals,” The New York Post wrote on Thursday.
In its Nov. 5 article, Newsweek described Nino Mangione as a “staunch MAGA Republican whose grandfather was a multimillionaire real estate magnate.” Like TMZ and others, it points to his campaign website, which states “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.”
The council member “believes that citizens have the right to feel safe in their homes and their communities,” Newsweek continued, quoting his campaign materials. “Like most Marylanders, Nino believes our judicial system has become too liberal and needs to refocus on delivering justice to victims. Violent offenders should be made to serve maximum penalties, showing repeat offenders that their actions will no longer be tolerated.”
“Nino Mangione is a conservative Republican fighting for freedom and the future of Maryland,” said thecomeback.com, quoting his website. “Nino stands with the taxpayers, fights for our values, and pushes back against WOKE policies of the radical let that make our streets unsafe, raise our taxes, waste our money and trample on our freedoms.”
‘Shocked and devastated’
After his cousin’s arrest, Nino Mangione posted on his X account a statement labeled “Statement from the Mangione Family Regarding Luigi Mangione.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione,” the family said on Dec. 9, 2024. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
Since then, Nino Mangione hasn’t spoken publicly about his cousin Luigi or the charges against him. But his reputation as a MAGA Republican, and his recent run for election, have been a sure-fire way to put Baltimore County on the map.
Related
Source: baltimorefishbowl.com
