Personal Ballot Guide · Montgomery County, MD 🇺🇸
The full field for every race, with a suggested pick (highlighted) weighted toward more housing & transit, competence, and the endorsements this guide trusts most. Tap any candidate's name to open their campaign site.
🗳️ Primary: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 · early voting June 11–18100% of precincts reporting (midday June 24). Maryland keeps counting mail-in & provisional ballots for several more days, so these stay unofficial — but the margins are wide enough that the contested races are effectively settled.
For current numbers: Baltimore Banner — MoCo results · MD State Board of Elections.
In deep-blue Montgomery County the Democratic primary effectively decides most of these offices — November is a formality.
In each table, the highlighted row (✓) is the suggested pick — weighted toward building more housing & transit, competence, and proven experience, plus the endorsers this guide trusts most (GGWash, the Washington Post, and the Bar Association for judges). Climate still matters but isn't an automatic trump card, and Sierra Club / union tags carry less weight here. Every candidate is listed with a short note so you can judge for yourself, and each name links (↗) to their official campaign site where one exists.
A few races turn on housing, taxes, or policing — personal calls, marked YOUR CALL.
🏛️ County — Executive & Council (the headline races) · 🏦 State & Federal — Governor, Congress, your legislators · ⚖️ Courts & Schools — judges, sheriff, school board, and the rest. There's also a clean Print layout (your browser's print) that lays out every race on paper.
Tags: SC Sierra Club · GGW GGWash · MCEA teachers · Moore · highlighted ✓ = pick · names ↗ link to campaign sites
County Executive vote for 1 · OPEN SEAT
Marc Elrich is term-limited. A real 3-way race that splits on housing — and since housing is your top priority, that's the tiebreaker here. All three frontrunners are credible; the real question is build-more vs. tenant-protection vs. balanced.
| Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|
| Evan Glass | SC Strongest climate record (led killing the Dickerson incinerator; clean-energy data-center rules); balanced on housing; co-frontrunner. |
| Will Jawando | 🏆 WINNERMCEA Teachers + most unions; wrote the rent-stabilization law (most pro-tenant); co-frontrunner. |
| Andrew Friedson | 🔴 LOSTGGW Most pro-housing / build-more (YIMBY); fiscal moderate; biggest war chest. |
| Mithun Banerjee | Long-shot; first-time candidate; posted a fabricated attack screenshot during the race. |
| Peter James | Long-shot; unconventional tech platform (would ban large AI data centers, replace buses with self-driving pods). |
✅ Lean: Andrew Friedson — the build-more (YIMBY) candidate, GGWash-endorsed, a fiscal moderate, and the most viable of the three; the best fit for a pro-housing, pro-growth profile. But this one's yours: want the strongest climate record → Glass; prioritize tenant protections/labor → Jawando.
🏆 RESULT (100% of precincts · unofficial): Will Jawando wins the nomination — 40.8% · Friedson 33.5% · Glass 21%. Your pick Friedson finished 2nd. Mail ballots leaned Friedson, so the final margin may narrow, but Jawando's lead is decisive.
Council At-Large vote for up to 4 · 17 candidates
✅ Suggested 4 (the pro-housing / pro-transit GGWash slate): Sayles · Silvestre · Goldberg · McNulty. All four are GGWash-backed on housing and transit. Mix in others to taste — e.g. Caballero or Selvam if climate is your single axis, or Losak if tenant protection is.
🏆 RESULT (4 seats): Elrich · Sayles · Goldberg · Barrie. Your picks Sayles & Goldberg won; Silvestre just missed (5th, ~840 votes behind Barrie); McNulty well back. Elrich — the one your profile dropped — topped the field.
| Candidate | Notes & endorsements |
|---|---|
| Laurie-Anne Sayles | 🟢 WONIncumbent; the consensus pick. SCGGWMCEAMoore |
| Karla Silvestre | 🔴 LOSTSchool-board member; budget/schools expertise. GGW |
| Scott Goldberg | 🟢 WONCounty Dem Party chair; pro-housing + tough data-center standards. GGW |
| Josie Caballero | Navy veteran; equity + climate; would be first openly trans member. SCMCEA |
| Marc Elrich | 🏆 WINNERTermed-out County Executive; the slow-growth / anti-supply figure. SCMCEAMoore |
| Prabu Selvam | Sierra Club climate pick; low public profile. SC |
| Fatmata Barrie | 🏆 WINNERImmigration & special-ed attorney; ex-aide to Will Jawando. MCEA |
| Matt Losak | Renters Alliance founder; strong tenant-protection voice. |
| Jim McNulty | 🔴 LOSTGaithersburg councilmember; pro-supply, opposes rent stabilization. GGW |
| Radwan Chowdhury | COO; former Freddie Mac; East County advocate. |
| Jeremiah Pope | General Assembly chief of staff; favors a data-center moratorium. |
| Dana Eugene Gassaway | Former teacher / small-business owner; solar program. |
| Hamza Khan | Activist; did not return candidate questionnaires. |
| Steve Solomon | Limited public information available. |
| Lelia S. True | Limited public information available. |
| Vicki Vergagni | Limited public information available. |
| Muhammad Arif Wali | Limited public information available. |
Council — District 6 vote for 1
LEAN Natali Fani-González
| Natali Fani-González | 🟢 WONIncumbent & Council President; pro-transit, climate-friendly density. SCGGWMCEAMoore |
| Sonia A. Garcia | Challenger; growth-skeptic / government-transparency platform; former NIH analyst. |
Tags: SC Sierra Club · GGW GGWash · MCEA teachers · Moore · highlighted ✓ = pick · names ↗ link to campaign sites
Governor / Lt. Governor vote for 1
LEAN Wes Moore & Aruna Miller
🏆 RESULT: Wes Moore won the Democratic nomination.
| Wes Moore / Aruna Miller | 🟢 WONIncumbents; strong clean-energy record. |
| Eric S. Felber / LaTrece Hawkins Lytes | Token challenger; physician. |
U.S. House — District 8 vote for 1
LEAN Jamie Raskin
| Jamie Raskin | 🟢 WONIncumbent; ranking member, House Judiciary; climate-progressive; overwhelming favorite. |
| J.D. Kumar | Business-development consultant. |
| Stephen Alan Leon | Attorney / inventor. |
| Boris Kabel Velasquez | Reportedly suspended his campaign — name remains on the ballot. |
House of Delegates — District 18 vote for up to 3
LEAN Shetty · Solomon · Kaufman
| Emily Shetty | 🟢 WONIncumbent; House Democratic Caucus Chair. SCGGWMCEAMoore |
| Jared Solomon | 🟢 WONIncumbent; Deputy Speaker Pro Tem; transit caucus. SCGGWMCEAMoore |
| Aaron Kaufman | 🟢 WONIncumbent; disability-rights leader; backed 100% carbon-free pledge. SCMCEAMoore |
| Kate Stein | Progressive challenger (caregiving, tenant protections, green jobs). No major endorsements. |
State Senate — District 18 vote for 1
UNOPPOSED Jeff Waldstreicher
| Jeff Waldstreicher | 🟢 WONIncumbent; Sierra Club–endorsed; anti-highway-widening record. Unopposed — no other candidates. |
Comptroller vote for 1
UNOPPOSED Brooke Elizabeth Lierman — incumbent; no other candidates.
Attorney General vote for 1
UNOPPOSED Anthony G. Brown — incumbent; no other candidates.
Democratic Central Committee — At-Large vote for up to 8 · county-wide
🏆 RESULT: Most of your picks finished at/near the top — Brand-Wiita, Johnson, Goldman, Saundry, Lopez Ramos all strong; Tucci is on the bubble for the final seat (set by the gender-balance rule). Luedtke & Rivera-Oven fell short. See the official tally for the certified 8.
✅ Suggested 8 (experience + competence, within the gender rule): the 6 sitting members — Rivera-Oven, Saundry, Lopez Ramos, Brand-Wiita, Goldman, Johnson — plus Eric Luedtke & Rosarie Tucci. LOW CONFIDENCE this elects party officers, not policy — very much your call. Ballot rule: up to 8, no more than 4 of any one gender (this slate is 4 M + 4 F). Note: 4 of the sitting members also ran on the Progressive Neighbors slate (which you weight lightly) — Luedtke is the establishment alternative — so lean toward the newcomers below, or just vote fewer than 8, if you'd prefer.
| Candidate | Notes · gender (per the ballot's balance rule) |
|---|---|
| Eric Luedtke | 🔴 LOSTM · Prominent, experienced MoCo Democrat — widely seen as the heavyweight in this race and the establishment alternative to the progressive slate. |
| Marko G. Rivera-Oven | 🔴 LOSTM · Incumbent — committee Vice Chair. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
| Andrew D. Saundry | 🟢 WONM · Incumbent — committee Secretary; ~5 yrs service. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
| Johvet "Jovy" Lopez Ramos | 🟢 WONM · Incumbent — the committee's representative to the state party. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
| Sarah Brand-Wiita | 🟢 WONF · Incumbent — Assistant Treasurer. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
| Marjorie Goldman | 🟢 WONF · Incumbent at-large member (not on the progressive slate). |
| Debra Johnson | 🟢 WONF · Incumbent at-large member (not on the progressive slate). |
| Rosarie Tucci | 🟡 BUBBLEF · Former USAID deputy assistant administrator; PTA leader — strong professional résumé, not on the slate. |
| Samir Ahmed | M · 16-year-old activist; would be among Maryland's youngest elected officials. |
| Bill Bien | M · Longtime campaign activist; cancer survivor. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
| Joshua Fischer | M · Newcomer; voter-registration advocate. (Not on the progressive slate.) |
| Manie Bellot | F · Limited public information available. |
| Deborah S. Belsky | 🏆 WINNERF · Limited public information available. |
| Gabrielle Zwi | 🏆 WINNERNB · Community organizer & arts educator; founded DC Teens Action. (Progressive Neighbors slate.) |
"In their own words": the League of Women Voters' VOTE411 and the Moderately MOCO candidate series both cover this race.
Democratic Central Committee — District 18 vote for up to 2 · your district
🏆 RESULT: Edward Fischman ✓ and Teresa Ramirez won. Your other pick, Bhatnagar, lost the female seat to Ramirez by ~20 votes (5,014 to 4,994).
Your local district's 2 seats — separate from the county-wide At-Large race just above. Same gender rule: 1 man + 1 woman.
LEAN Bhatnagar + Fischman
| Shruti Bhatnagar | 🔴 LOSTFormer Montgomery County Sierra Club president; the most active, known party organizer in the field. SC |
| Edward Fischman | 🟢 WONIncumbent committee treasurer (pairs with Bhatnagar to satisfy the gender-balance rule). |
| Teresa Ramirez | 🏆 WINNERLimited public information available. |
Tags: MCEA teachers · Bar Association · Moore · highlighted ✓ = pick · names ↗ link to campaign sites
Sheriff vote for 1
🏆 RESULT: Will Milam won (65%), ousting incumbent Uy (35%). Your pick ✓.
YOUR CALL lean Will Milam (low confidence — a management race, not climate/ideology)
| Will Milam | 🟢 WONChallenger; ex-#2 of the PG County sheriff's office; 12+ unions + FOP + MCGEO; out-raised Uy ~8:1; runs on fixing workplace culture. |
| Maxwell Uy | Incumbent; first Asian American MoCo sheriff; backed by several elected officials; keeps the no–ICE-cooperation policy (both do). |
Register of Wills vote for 1
🏆 RESULT: Barbara Ebel won (43%); your pick Dollahite finished 2nd (31%), Bowser 3rd.
LEAN Paul Dollahite
| Paul Dollahite | 🔴 LOSTAppointed incumbent; first attorney to hold the office; 17 yrs running the Orphans' Court division. |
| Alan Bowser | Probate/estate attorney, 30+ years; former federal official. |
| Barbara Ebel | 🏆 WINNERState workforce-development official; led early fundraising. |
Circuit Court Judge — Circuit 6 vote for up to 4
LEAN the 4 sitting judges
| Sharon V. Burrell | 🟢 WONSitting judge. Moore |
| Victor M. Del Pino | 🟢 WONSitting judge. Moore |
| James J. Dietrich | 🟢 WONSitting judge. Moore |
| Catherine H. McQueen | 🟢 WONSitting judge. Moore |
| Marylin Pierre | Challenger (5th run); campaigns against the judicial appointment/vetting process. Not Bar-recommended. |
Board of Education — At-Large vote for 1 · nonpartisan
🏆 RESULT (top 2 advance to November): Lazo 1st (33%) ✓ and Brenda Diaz 2nd (31%) advance. ⚠️ Diaz (flagged) is on the November ballot — your call there matters.
LEAN Omar Lazo
| Omar Lazo | 🟡 → NOVMontgomery College trustee; county workforce-board chair. MCEA |
| Wylea Chase | Leadership Montgomery director; educational-equity background. Credible progressive alternative. |
| Brenda Diaz | 🟡 → NOVConservative / "Moms for Liberty"-aligned — flagged since you're voting the Democratic primary. |
| Tiffany Wicks | On the ballot but reportedly not actively campaigning. |
Board of Education — District 3 vote for 1 · nonpartisan
LEAN Sally McCarthy — only appears if you live in BOE District 3
| Sally McCarthy | 🟡 → NOVPTA leader / policy background. MCEA |
| Brett DiResta | College professor & baseball coach; runs a Democratic consulting firm. |
| Cassandra "Cassi" Sung | 🟡 → NOVMaternal-health & childcare advocate. |
| Sharon Creed | Limited public information available. |
| Andrew Frykman | Limited public information available. |
State's Attorney (John McCarthy) and Clerk of the Circuit Court (Karen Bushell) are unopposed — no other candidates. There is no Orphans' Court race in Montgomery County (Circuit Court judges handle it).
Board of Education is nonpartisan and finally decided in November (the primary just narrows the field). You vote the At-Large seat plus only your home BOE district seat. Districts 1 (Grace Rivera-Oven) and 5 (Elma-Lorraine Diggs) are unopposed incumbents.
Endorsement slates and candidate facts come from these — worth a skim before you commit: