Silver Spring resident Josie Caballero, an LGBTQ+ policy advocate and Navy veteran, says she is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council in the 2026 general election because it’s time to stand up and fight for the county in the face of changes wrought by the Trump administration.
“I decided to run because as we see everything that’s going on in the country, this seems like the moment to start pushing back and showing strong leadership,” Caballero told Bethesda Today in an interview Monday. “As a veteran and as a trans woman, looking at what’s going on has been very scary.”
Caballero announced her candidacy Friday in a social media post. If elected, Caballero would be the council’s first openly transgender member.
“I’m running because Montgomery County’s bold leadership stands as a beacon of hope as the federal government is turning its back on all Americans,” Caballero said on an ActBlue fundraiser page announcing her candidacy. “We will not settle as everything our nation stands for gets destroyed. I know what it means to serve with integrity, to fight for what’s right, and to never back down in the face of adversity.”
Caballero is the director of voting and elections for Advocates for Trans Equality, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ policy. She was also the director of the nonprofit’s national transgender survey from 2022 through 2024. Prior to joining Advocates for Trans Equality she worked as a private political consultant.
She also is vice president of the Transgender American Veterans Association and was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to the Maryland Commission on LGBTQ Affairs in 2023, where she serves as the chair of the commission’s policy committee. Caballero was featured by Bethesda Magazine in 2022 as part of its “Women Who Inspire” issue.
Caballero told Bethesda Today that while her trans identity is not the most important aspect of who she is, she also believes in the importance of the representation she could bring to the county government. She noted there has never been an openly trans person elected in the state.
“Being trans is kind of just an interesting fact about me, but I understand the importance of being the first – I want to be the first and not the last,” Caballero said. “There’s a lot of folks in this county who would feel much more at ease knowing they have a trans representative, because they’d know I have their back.”
Caballero joins a widening field for the council’s four at-large seats in the upcoming election. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D), former Montgomery County Democratic party chair Scott Goldberg and Jeremiah Pope, chief of staff for a Maryland General Assembly lawmaker, have also publicly announced their candidacies for at-large council seats.
Elrich is facing his final two years in office after voters passed a term-limit referendum in November 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.
The shake-up caused by the referendum’s passage has led some councilmembers to enter the county executive race, opening their seats. Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) announced his candidacy March 12 in an exclusive interview with Bethesda Today, and councilmember Will Jawando (D-At-large) officially announced his run at a May 21 event. Silver Spring resident and registered medical assistant Celeste Iroha (D) also filed to run for the seat in March.
Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) is highly speculated as a candidate for county executive. He has raised more than $1 million, but has neither confirmed nor denied his intention to run. 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.
‘In love with Montgomery County’
Caballero, who grew up in Texas, started her career in the Navy as a nuclear reactor operator. After more than six years of military service, she decided to attend San Diego State University and pursue a career in policy.
“A sense of service and hard work was instilled in me in the Navy, but I didn’t want to contribute to the war machine anymore,” Caballero said.
She began working in policy across the country and eventually moved to Montgomery County after being hired by Advocates for Transgender Equality.
“I fell in love with Montgomery County,” Caballero said. “This is where I belong. I want to build my family here.”
Caballero said that if elected, one of her top priorities is addressing housing affordability and the high cost of living in the county.
“I see potential first-time homebuyers considering moving out of Montgomery County because it’s so expensive,” Caballero said. “That needs to be addressed.”
She said she’s also passionate about environmental issues, including improving transit accessibility across the county, and addressing the use of natural gas as the main power source for a number of the county’s older buildings.
“We need to start working on electrification,” Caballero said.
Caballero said another priority is the protection of federal workers following mass layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE]. She said she’s spoken with federal workers who live in the county and are afraid they’ll show up at work only to learn their IDs have been disabled.
“MoCo has historically been considered recession-proof in the past,” Caballero said. “But with the DOGE cuts, people are worried.”
The candidate filing period for the November 2026 gubernatorial election opened Feb. 25 and will close Feb. 25, 2026. The offices of county executive, County Council, state’s attorney, clerk of the Circuit Court, register of wills and sheriff, along with seats on the county Board of Education (Districts 1, 3, 5, and At-large), and the Republican and Democratic central committees, are up for election.
