Editor’s note: This story was originally published at 10:11 a.m. on May 22, 2025. It was updated at 4:45 p.m. on June 13, 2025 to correct a quote that incorrectly stated that Will Jawando said “we need recidivism and we need more housing.” The correct quote is “we need rent stabilization and we need more housing.”
Montgomery County Council Vice President Will Jawando (D-At-large) ended months of speculation by announcing Wednesday night that he is officially running to replace County Executive Marc Elrich (D) in 2026.
“I promise to fix the potholes in your neighborhood,” Jawando said to the cheers of a crowd of a couple hundred supporters at a campaign event hosted at the restaurant Citizens and Culture in downtown Silver Spring. “[Montgomery County needs to be] a place that’s safe, it’s a place that’s affordable, it’s a place with a strong economy, it’s a place to value diversity.”
Elrich, who is barred from running for a third term by term limits, was the first speaker to endorse Jawando at the event. Elrich noted he endorsed Jawando in part because of the councilmember’s support for his proposed county operating budget for fiscal year 2026 and the tax increases he had proposed to help fund it.
“I want to see progress continue… we’ve come a hell of a long way,” Elrich told the crowd.
On May 2, Jawando filed campaign finance committee paperwork for the county executive race with the state that allowed him to begin fundraising. Through a member of his staff, Jawando previously declined to comment on the filing to Bethesda Today until Wednesday’s formal announcement.
Jawando has consistently demonstrated his aspirations for higher public office, including a brief U.S. Senate bid in 2023, and he runs a federal political action committee to fund the campaigns of progressive candidates across the country.
Elrich is facing his final two years in office after voters passed a 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. He plans to run for an at-large council seat.
“I look forward to being [Jawando’s] partner in reverse roles,” Elrich told the crowd.
Jawando is the second councilmember to announce he is running for the county’s top leadership post. Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) announced his candidacy on March 12 in an exclusive interview with Bethesda Today. Silver Spring resident and registered medical assistant Celeste Iroha (D) also filed to run for the seat in March.
Speculation about who will run to succeed Elrich has also centered on councilmember Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1), who has raised more than $1 million, but has neither confirmed nor denied his candidacy. In March, he told Bethesda Today that 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.
The Democratic candidates will face off in the June 23, 2026, gubernatorial primary election. No Republicans have filed to run for county executive so far. The filing period for candidates ends Feb. 25, 2026.
Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles was among the speakers endorsing Jawando on Wednesday. “We need a visionary for the future,” Sayles said. “Will Jawando has the vision.”
Councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5), who frequently partners with Jawando on legislation, cited his work on rent stabilization and as the chair of the council’s Education and Culture Committee in her endorsement.
“There’s a lot of times when it’s hard to do the right thing in politics. But this is a man who does the right thing even when it is the hard thing,” Mink said.
Other speakers who offered endorsements included Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard Bassett and Democratic nominee for Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
“The Capital region is one of the most powerful in the country,” Braveboy said. “Who we elect to sit in these seats… it matters.”
Other public officials in attendance at the event included Rockville City Councilmember Izola Shaw, county school board member Brenda Wolff and Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee President Pamela Luckett.
A progressive and a lightning rod
Jawando is considered one of the most progressive – and at times, one of the most controversial – members of the County Council. He’s faced both praise and pushback for his efforts at police reform, and he played a large role in the county’s rent stabilization efforts.
This budget season, Jawando often voted against the majority of his fellow councilmembers, favoring a tax increase to help fund Elrich’s proposed $7.6 billion county operating budget.
He also was one of the few councilmembers to oppose incentives for developers to build more “missing middle” housing – which he alluded to in his remarks Wednesday.
“It’s expensive to live here. We need rent stabilization and we need more housing,” Jawando said. “You don’t have to be a tool for developers to get that done … my job is to protect your money.”
Among his other priorities should he be elected, Jawando listed diversity initiatives, investment in the county’s life science biohubs, “cutting red tape” for small businesses and increasing per-pupil funding for public schools.
“If you don’t want to pay a fair wage to teachers, go somewhere else,” Jawando said.
During Wednesday night’s event, both Jawando and Elrich appeared to attack Friedson and the size of his campaign war chest.
“You cannot elect a county executive who already has millions of dollars from developers,” Elrich said while endorsing Jawando.
Jawando expressed a similar sentiment, urging those in attendance to donate to his campaign.
“One of my opponents has $1 million funded by developers,” he said.
