Former Obama administration official Will Jawando is the latest Democratic candidate to jump into the race for the District 8 congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Chris Van Hollen.
Jawando, 33, lives in Silver Spring. He finished fourth out of nine candidates in the District 20 House of Delegates race in 2014 and prior to that he worked in the Obama White House as the associate director of the Office of Public Engagement and later as the deputy director of Strategic Partnerships. Jawando is the third candidate to officially enter the race. He currently works as an attorney for The Raben Group in Washington, D.C.
Jawando will join Kumar Barve and Jamie Raskin as the candidates who have officially launched their campaigns for the congressional seat. Congressional District 8 is a gerrymandered district that includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington and Rockville as well as parts of Frederick and Carroll counties. Van Hollen is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring.
Barve (D-Gaithersburg), the former House of Delegates Democratic majority leader and District 17 representative, announced his candidacy in March. Earlier this month state Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Takoma Park) launched his campaign by claiming a long list of endorsements including those from Rep. John Sarbanes and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh.
In a statement provided to The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post, Jawando said: “To solve the significant challenges we face, we need new leadership, fresh ideas, and an inclusive approach to making Congress work for working families—that’s the kind of leader I’ll be. Together we’ll fight to bring more good-paying jobs to our neighborhoods, strengthen our schools and ensure equal justice and opportunity for all.”
