2026 Primary Election Endorsements:
The 2026 Democratic primaries feature a number of competitive races. Some of the races are crowded, with 17 candidates in the At-Large Council race. We have decided to focus our efforts on a few competitive races that could have a significant tipping point effect. Four years ago when 2 new seats were added to the council, major changes occurred as a result of the primaries, not the least of which was that half the council is now represented by women. Rent stabilization passed after many decades of discussion. Housing is now a central issue being dealt with at the council, state and Federal level. Taxes and the schools are always the perennial topic as well. While there are a few competitive primaries for state delegates and for Congress as well as for offices in other counties (like Prince George’s County), we continue to focus our efforts on local Montgomery County races where we believe we can make the most difference. With 5 open seats on the County Council, there is a real opportunity for a realignment to occur. And, of course, the race for County Executive also presents a significant opportunity.
Rather than send out questionnaires, which are often duplicative of other advocacy groups and often not terribly informative, we have focused our efforts on one-on-one conversations with over half of the candidates in the At-Large race (including almost all the major ones). We also attended meet and greets, forums, reviewed their websites and consulted with sister organizations who were making endorsements. Even so, making endorsements was difficult, not only because of the number of candidates but also because of the late filing deadline (end of February) when a number of candidates jumped into various races. With that preface, below are our endorsements for the 2026 Democratic primary. We hope they are useful and that you share them with your friends and family members before the June primary.
County Executive: Will Jawando
With County Executive Elrich term limited, several council members have opted to run for county executive, along with a few other candidates. Councilmember Friedson decided not to use public financing and has a well-funded campaign. Councilmember Glass was just endorsed by former Congressman David Trone. Both are closer to developer interests than Councilmember Jawando. Jawando has been a champion on the council for renters and the poor. He supports raising taxes on the wealthy. He has been a leader fighting against the Trump Administration and ICE activity. He has led the progressive bloc on the council and has been endorsed by County Executive Elrich. We believe he would be the best choice to lead the county and continue the progress we have made under County Executive Elrich the past 8 years. So Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Will Jawando for County Executive in the June Primary and in November.
County Council:
District 1: Debbie Spielberg
District One (Bethesda and Chevy Chase) has an open seat to replace Councilmember Friedson, who is running for County Executive. Three Democrats have filed to run for this seat. We have known and worked with Debbie Spielberg for many years. She has been an assistant to County Executive Elrich for the past two terms and played a critical role in his successes. She knows the county government and how it works and would be a knowledgeable addition to the council. Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Debbie Spielberg for County Council in District One.
District 3: Izola Shaw
District Three (Rockville, Gaithersburg) has an open seat to replace Sid Katz who had to retire because of council term limits. Three Democrats are running to replace him. Progressive Neighbors endorsed Izola Shaw when she ran for Rockville City Council two years ago and she has been a vocal advocate for renters rights and extending the county’s rent stabilization rule to the City of Rockville. If elected she would be one of the few (perhaps the only) renters on the council (in a county where 40% of the residents are renters). Her opponent Jud Ashman is an avid opponent of rent control and garners significant support from developers. We are happy to endorse her for the District Three Council seat this year. Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Izola Shaw for County Council in District Three.
District 4: Kate Stewart
District Four (Silver Spring, Takoma Park) is represented by Kate Stewart, who is running for re-election. She has two challengers. We have endorsed her in the past and believe she deserves a second term. While we don’t agree with her on every issue and she hasn’t been the most progressive voice on the council, we believe she has been a pragmatic progressive who has built coalitions to move forward and support a progressive agenda. Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Kate Stewart for County Council in District Four.
District 5: Kristin Mink
District Five (Four Corners, White Oak, Burtonsville) is represented by Kristin Mink, who is running for re-election. We have endorsed her in the past ( we were the only ones to endorse her in the last election) and believe she deserves a second term. She has been a strong voice on the council for progressive issues and in particular has been very active in opposing ICE. She has one opponent in the primary who has no information available or website. Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Kristin Mink for County Council in District Five.
At Large: Marc Elrich, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Josie Caballero and Fatmata Barrie
The Council At-Large race is the most difficult one for endorsements. As of the filing deadline there are 17 candidates running for 4 seats. Three seats are open since Councilmembers Jawando and Glass are running for County Executive and Councilmember Albornaz decided to resign last year to return to a county job heading the Recreation Department. Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles is running for reelection. County Executive Marc Elrich is running to rejoin the council (since he is term-limited as County Executive). We believe both should be elected to At-Large seats. Elrich would continue to be a strong progressive voice to protect renters and the poor as well as make progress on many other issues like Bus Rapid Transit and climate issues. Sayles has a strong and clear vision regarding economic growth, commercial development, housing affordability and law enforcement. She also supports legislation designed to increase transparency around federal immigration enforcement activities. Both understand the need to raise taxes on the wealthy to continue the social safety net county residents demand and deserve.
The other two slots are harder to fill. As always, there are a large number of excellent candidates: We are lucky to have so many qualified candidates who are dedicated to public service. We interviewed about half the candidates. Many filed at the last minute and didn’t even have websites to review and see their positions on issues. Many have similar positions on issues or at least profess the same values. After careful review of the available information and our interviews along with consultation with our sister organizations, we have decided to endorse Josie Caballero. Josie is a first time candidate and a Navy veteran. She is a transwoman who heads an advocacy group for trans veterans. She is willing to take bold action to preserve affordable housing, protect our immigrant residents and make progress on climate change. She has been endorsed by MCEA and DSA. For the last slot we have decided to endorse Fatmata Barrie. She has been the executive director of the Police Accountability Board. She has been active in the county on many progressive causes and will help create a progressive majority on the council.
Progressive Neighbors recommends you vote for Marc Elrich, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Josie Caballero and Fatmata Barrie for County Council in At-Large.
School Board (MCBOE):
We have not done an in-depth review of the candidates for school board this cycle. Many school board members are leaving or running for other offices so there are a number of vacancies. Everyone in the county gets to vote for school board candidates running At-Large and also in Districts 1, 3, and 5. In District 1, Grace Rivera-Oven is running unopposed for another term. In District 5 Elma-Lorraine Diggs is running unopposed. District 3 has a competitive race with five candidates running. There is little information on many of them. Sally McCarthy has been endorsed by MCEA. You should check the websites for her, Brett DiResta and Cassandra “Cassie” Sung to help you decide whom to support. The At-Large race has five candidates. Omar Lazlo has been endorsed by MCEA. Wylea Chase has also garnered support in the community and is head of the Black and Brown Coalition. Tiffany Wicks is also running. Brenda Diaz is running again and, as the last time around, we need to warn people that she is aligned with the Moms for Liberty movement, which attempts to censor school curriculum in the name of “parent’s rights,” so we hope you will vote against her.
Sheriff:
There has been a lot of controversy about the current sheriff Maxwell Uy. He has been accused of having a toxic workplace culture and his staff has voted no confidence in him. He is being opposed by Will Millam who retired as Assistant Chief Sheriff in Prince George’s County. Will has been endorsed by several police lodges as well as MCGEO (UFCW Local 1994) which represents county employees in the Sheriff’s office. Check out the latest article on a recent forum between the two candidates.
Circuit Court Judges:
As usual, there is the perennial election for judges who have been appointed recently and are required to run for office during the next election. They are elected to 15 year terms. They are Judge Sharon V. Burrell, Judge Victor M. Del Pino, Judge James Dietrich and Judge Catherine H. McQueen. As usual there is very little information on them and how they would rule. You can look at their website for more information. Also, as usual, Marylin Pierre has filed to run against them. We are hoping that in the future judges will run for election or reelection with a much more transparent process, as well as transparency in how they were chosen in the first place (through closed door recommendations by groups of their peers) and with public financing so that judges don’t receive political contributions from the very law firms that will be bringing cases before them. A State Legislative committee made recommendations to do away with contested elections but the Legislature has yet to act on that report. Here is a link to a news report on a recent forum.
Registrar of Wills
There is also a contested election for Registrar of Wills. Our friend Alan Bowser, who is a longtime civic activist, is running for this position against two other candidates, Barbara Ebel (an MCDCC member, with a long list of highly-placed endorsers) and Paul Dollahite (who was appointed to fill the uncompleted term of the late Joe Griffin). We have not investigated this race and recommend that you do your own research.
State Legislative Races:
There are a number of competitive state legislative races this year. Challengers have filed to run in Legislative Districts 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (4 challengers, Christa Titchy, Sebastian Johnson, Gariel Sorrel, and Sunil Dasgupta), and 39 (challengers in both House and Senate races). We have not had the time to investigate and interrogate the candidates in the state races but encourage you to check out the races if you live in one of these districts. We can offer some rough perspectives though.
District 14: Matt Post
In District 14, one seat has opened up, and the youthful Matt Post is the stand-out choice for that seat. A former leader in March for Our Lives, a Yale Law graduate, and now a lawyer for the state teachers’ union (MSEA), Post could soon be one the leading progressive voices in the Maryland government. Post is getting support from all the leading progressive and labor organizations, and his star is likely to rise quickly, beginning with this primary. Progressive Neighbors is pleased to recommend a vote for Matt Post in District 14.
District 16:
District 16 poses an interesting race with former leader of the Women’s Democratic Club, Tazeen Ahmad, challenging in a Delegate race that includes 2 other women who were recently appointed to the House during this term. Those two incumbents, Dels. Teresa Woorman (Saavedra) and Sarah Wolek, are relatively new delegates. Ahmad sees an opening, especially with dissatisfaction in the appointees among a lot of District voters, but she also has no record to point to.
District 19: Vaughn Stewart
District 19 presents the most interesting set of candidates. Christa Tichy is active in the Electricians Union (IBEW) and the MCDCC. Gabe Sorrel is a former Our Revolution member who previously ran for MCDCC. Sunil Dasgupta may have the highest name recognition as a local political science professor (USG), and a podcaster known for his “I Hate Politics” podcast. Sebastian Johnson is a former Bd. of Education candidate, and current member of the MCDCC. He would be a good progressive vote, joining Delegates Greg Wims and Gabe Acevero (both in Dist 39, and facing strong challenges) as the only black males in Montgomery County’s House of Delegates delegation.
If you want to shake things up, voting for both Johnson and Sorrel would be a good route to take. Of course, incumbent Delegate Vaughn Stewart remains one of the leading and most effective progressives in the House of Delegates, and should definitely receive the support of all progressives voting in District 19. Progressive Neighbors strongly recommends returning Vaughn Stewart to the House of Delegates
District 20:
District 20 probably has the most progressive delegation in the State. Progressive Neighbors is proud to support Senator Will Smith and Delegates Jheanelle Wilkins, David Moon and Lorig Chakoudian for reelection
District 39:
District 39 is the Wild West of districts. Once again, Del. Gabe Acevero, the most outspoken leftist in the House of Delegates, has been excluded from the slate formed by the other incumbents, who have endorsed Gaithersburg City Council Member Robert Wu. Wu would actually be more progressive than the incumbents on the slate, but losing Acevero would be a blow to progressives. Acevero, in turn, is running with George Lluberes for the House, and Amar Mukunda, who is challenging the incumbent Nancy King, for State Senate.
Acevero and Lluberes would be strong progressives in the House. Despite slating with the incumbents, Rob Wu is probably the best choice for a 3rd. Mukunda would really shake things up in the Senate, both in terms of youth, and his politics, which is definitely to the left of King
Congressional Races:
District 8: Jamie Raskin
There is an open seat in District 5 (where Congressman Steny Hoyer retired) with several good candidates. Hoyer has anointed Adrian Boafo as his preferred replacement. Wala Blegay is also a good prospect. Harry Dunn, who was a Capitol Police Officer on January 6th, is also running for that seat. Congresswoman April McClain Delaney is running for reelection in District 6 against former Congressman David Trone and Ethan Wechtaluk. While we haven’t been enamored with Congresswoman Delaney’s voting record (e.g. her support for the Riley Act was an admitted mistake), we hesitate to support a challenger that may split the vote and allow the reelection of former Congressman Trone, who we feel was not a progressive or effective force for this District.
Congressman Mfume (District 7) and Congressman Raskin (District 8) both have challengers this time. We have long been a supporter of Congressman Raskin and endorse him for reelection wholeheartedly.
Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee:
There are a few competitive races for the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
In District 39, Marc Robles has been a reliable progressive and strong representative of the Latino community. The race for the female seat is wide-open. Lisette Orellano Engel has experience in an important policy position with UnidosUS, probably the leading Latino advocacy non-profit in the country, while Emilee Towey has been active locally with the Renters Alliance.
In District 17, incumbent Jennifer Hosey faces a real challenge. Hosey has never distinguished herself, and the state delegation is backing the opponent, Denise Henderson.
District 15 sees the former Chair, Saman Qadeer Ahmad, being challenged by Andrea Shedler. Ahmad isn’t the most progressive, but her experience is valuable in a committee that sees a lot of regular change. In the District 15 male race, William Roberts is a strong progressive, and having him on the Committee will position him well to run again for the Council District 2 seat (we endorsed Roberts for that District 2 County Council seat 4 years ago).
In District 19, Simon Weaver would bring his experience as a leader of the local District 19 Club, and strong commitment to the position.
In the MCDCC At-Large race, there are a few incumbents who have really valuable experience and are relatively progressive, which matters most when the MCDCC is voting to appoint candidates to fill vacancies in Annapolis. Jovy Lopez, and Andrew Saundry are really strong progressives, and also active in organizing. Marco Rivera-Oven brings a wealth of experience and support within the Latino community. Bill Bien would be a newcomer, but he is a long-time supporter of the party. These four will face a strong challenge from Eric Leudtke, former Democratic Majority Leader in the House of Delegates, married to Councilmember Dawn Leudtke. It is unclear why Leudtke is running for the seat. His connections could be useful. No one with his level of experience has ever run for a party slot. Still, the four male candidates mentioned above, Lopez, Saundry, Rivera-Oven, and Bien, would be a good quartet. Progressive Neighbors strongly recommends Johvet (Jovy) Lopez Rqamos and Andrew Saundry.
In the female At-Large race, Sarah Brand-Wiita is the clear stand-out. Brand-Wiita is young, and a solid progressive who is also deeply committed to her work modernizing the precinct organization. Debra Johnson is new to the Committee, but very competent and prepared. She could use the seat to be a strong presence in District 20 in the future. Gabrielle Zwi is a young, nonbinary progressive who would bring youthful energy and organizing chops to the MCDCC. Rosarie Tucci has not been very active in local politics, but has a wealth of experience in democracy initiatives through the U.S. Institute of Peace and USAID. She might be a good 4th choice. Progressive Neighbors strongly recommends Sarah Brand Wiita and Gabrielle Zwi.
Progressive Neighbors 