Editor’s note: This story was originally published at 10:30 a.m. on March 12, 2025. This story was updated at 12:15 p.m. to clarify that Rich Madaleno served in the Maryland General Assembly as a senator and a delegate. It was updated at 12:25 p.m. on March 12, 2025 to include comments from Andrew Friedson and at 3:15 p.m. on March 12, 2025 to include comments from Will Jawando.
Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) is announcing Wednesday that he is running for county executive in 2026, according to an exclusive interview with Bethesda Today.
Glass told Bethesda Today during Monday’s interview that he is running for the county’s top leadership post because “we need to improve our local economy, improve our schools and protect our residents.” He also plans to make pushing back against the actions of the Trump administration a cornerstone of his campaign.
“Our quality of life is under threat from Donald Trump and Elon Musk. They are dismantling our government institutions and causing chaos in our community. … We need to stand firm and support every resident, regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak, where they pray, who they love, how they identify,” he said. “These are our Montgomery County values, and they’re worth fighting for.”
A Silver Spring resident, Glass, 48, has served on the council since 2018 and currently chairs the council’s Transportation and Environment Committee. He previously served as council president in 2023 and as council vice president in 2022.
If elected, Glass would be the first openly-LGBTQ+ county executive. He publicly announced the news of his run in a press release Wednesday. He told Bethesda Today he believes his record as a councilmember speaks for itself.
“I am proud of my experience and record to protect the environment, fight hate and bigotry and help our working and middle-class families. I’m also incredibly proud of my ability to bring people together. It seems that everyone is polarized these days,” Glass said.
He is the second candidate to enter a race that is expected to draw great interest now that County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has been prohibited from running for a third term by voters’ passage of a term-limit referendum in the November general election. The filing period for candidates opened Feb. 25 and ends Feb. 25, 2026
Silver Spring resident and registered medical assistant Celeste Iroha (D) confirmed to Bethesda Today last week that she had filed to run.
Elrich (D) is facing his final two years in office after voters passed the term-limit referendum that amends the county charter to restrict the county executive to serving two terms. Elrich is serving the second year of his second four-year term, which will end in 2026.
As speculation grows among political observers about who may run for the seat, county councilmember Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) has raised more than $1 million, but has neither confirmed nor denied his candidacy. Council Vice President Will Jawando (D-At-large) has voiced aspirations for higher public office and runs a federal political action committee to fund the campaigns of progressive candidates across the country. Speculation concerning who may run for county executive has also included Rich Madaleno, the county’s chief administrative officer who also served in the Maryland General Assembly as a delegate and a senator.
Friedson commented on Glass’ run and the speculation that he may also run in a phone call with Bethesda Today on Wednesday afternoon. He said he is focused on his work as a councilmember and that there will be “plenty of time” for politics later.
“Right now I’m focused on our county budget, standing up for federal workers under assault from Trump and Musk, and making sure our county’s best days are still ahead of us despite the current challenges ahead of us,” Friedson said.
Jawando responded to the news in an email to Bethesda Today on Wednesday afternoon.
“Right now, with our state facing difficult budget challenges and ongoing uncertainty at the federal level that directly affects Montgomery County, my focus remains on the county’s budget and the well-being of our residents,” Jawando wrote. “I am committed to ensuring Montgomery County remains a beacon of democracy and inclusion and at the appropriate time, I will make my decision about entering the County Executive’s race.”
As he launches his campaign with a focus on pushing back against the Trump administration, Glass acknowledged that it will be difficult to predict how the administration’s actions will continue to impact the county between now and November 2026. More than 70,000 federal workers live in the county and the administration’s layoffs and firings have already impacted more than 1,000 residents, according to county officials.
When asked how he plans to address the uncertainty, he said it is most important to ensure the county is in a position to support its residents.
“We have an incredibly strong social safety net, and we want to make sure that everybody feels seen and safe and that we catch them should they fall. That was built up over a very long time to make sure that we have food assistance, rental assistance, job programs for career readiness,” Glass said. “That has been my focus, and as we start this campaign, people want to know how Montgomery County is going to help them during this time of national chaos. I want everyone to know that Montgomery County is ready, that I stand by them and will help them in any way I can.”
Pivoting to public service
A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., Glass first moved to Montgomery County when he got a job in the District as a CNN producer covering the federal government. He worked for CNN for 12 years, while also becoming involved with local boards and organizations in the county. He later worked in a variety of communications jobs before becoming executive director of the Gandhi Brigade Youth Media in 2014, a nonprofit now known as Action Youth Media that introduces children to journalism and civic engagement. He left the organization in 2018 after being elected as a councilmember.
His year serving as council president in 2023 came with big wins for his campaign agenda: a historic rent stabilization bill, passage of safe streets laws, and the implementation of a task force to address hate crimes.
But Glass wasn’t immune from criticism during that year, including from some colleagues who accused him of not being transparent during budget proceedings. He also received both praise and pushback for his scrutiny of budget and personnel procedures within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), including an op-ed in May 2023 calling for more budget transparency from school system officials. While some community members expressed appreciation for Glass’s probing of the school system, MCPS officials clapped back with their own op-ed, defending their budget procedures and suggesting Glass believed a budget proposed by a Black woman superintendent needed more oversight. Monifa McKnight, who was MCPS superintendent at the time, resigned in February 2024 in the wake of a controversy over sexual harassment allegations against a former middle school principal.
Along with other council members, Glass also proposed legislation passed by the council that intends to strengthen protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime and created a grant program that intends to minimize office vacancies in the county.
Priorities if elected
When asked by Bethesda Today what he would do differently from Elrich if he were elected county executive, Glass said the county needs to focus more on economic development.
“We are the third-largest life sciences hub in the nation, and I am extremely proud of that, but we need to do more to capitalize on it,” Glass said.
He said he also wants to continue to work on streamlining the county’s business permitting process. Business owners and those trying to open businesses in the county have long complained that the permitting process is onerous and takes too long.
“Permitting might not be sexy, but when small business owners tell me how hard it was to open in Montgomery County, we need to listen to them,” Glass said. “The business community tells me all the time it’s death by 1,000 cuts. Now it’s time to stop the bleeding.”
Glass said he plans to continue to push for “greater transparency” from MCPS.
“Montgomery County once had the best school system in the nation. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore,” Glass said. “The needs of our students continue to grow, from academic assistance to food insecurity to housing support. As the school system has taken on more responsibilities, so have our educators. We need to rebalance the roles and responsibilities placed on our schools so they can focus on educating our kids in a safe and nurturing environment.”
Other priorities include focusing on the county’s housing affordability crisis.
“We need to increase our housing supply as well so that more families can continue living in Montgomery County,” Glass said. “We have to get back in the business of building investment investing infrastructure for our current residents and future residents.”
When asked why he’d be the best county representative in political dealings at the state level, Glass pointed to his experience of working with a diverse group of politicians while serving on the council.
“I travel to Annapolis and work with our state delegates and lawmakers and state leaders as well, and ultimately, we are all on Team Maryland and need to work together for the betterment of our residents and businesses,” Glass said.
The primary election will take place June 30, 2026, and the general election will be held Nov. 3, 2026.
