County Executive in Montgomery County, Maryland

2026 Primary Election

• Mithun Banerjee — Project Manager and Business Owner in Silver Spring, Maryland

  Mithun Banerjee is a resident of Montgomery County since 2008 and a small business owner with his wife. He has a background as a Program/Project Manager for companies such as Microsoft, Honeywell, Oracle, and T-Mobile. He earned a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Lamar University in Texas and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics & Communication from Bangalore University in India. He has 11 publications in IEEE International Conferences and Journals and has served as a review panel member for the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Defense.

• Andrew Friedson — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Andrew Friedson is a Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Executive. He is currently serving his second term on the Montgomery County Council representing District 1, which includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. First elected in 2018, he became the youngest councilmember in county history. He was later elected as the youngest-ever Council President in December 2023. As a councilmember, Friedson chairs the Planning, Housing, & Parks Committee and serves on the Health and Human Services Committee. His legislative work has concentrated on economic development, housing, and environmental issues. He was re-elected to his council seat in 2022, running unopposed in both the primary and general elections.

• Evan Glass — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Evan Glass is a Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Executive. He made history in 2018 as the first openly gay person elected to the Montgomery County Council and is now in his second at-large term. On the Council, he has championed legislation such as the Pay Equity Act, the Housing Justice Act, and the LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights. Before his career in public service, Glass was a journalist at CNN for 12 years, covering national politics. He also served as the executive director of Gandhi Brigade Youth Media, an after-school program for immigrant and low-income students.

• Peter James — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Peter James is a general manager for a research and development company. An active participant in local politics, he was a Democratic candidate for County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland. He competed in the Democratic primary election held on July 19, 2022. In that contest, James ran against fellow candidates David T. Blair, Marc Elrich, and Hans Riemer. According to the official results from the primary, he secured 2,429 votes. Following that election cycle, James has remained involved in local political affairs and is also listed as a Democratic candidate for the same Montgomery County Executive position for the 2026 election.

• Will Jawando — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Will Jawando serves as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, a position he has held since 2018. A Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Executive, Jawando was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, to a Nigerian father and a mother from Kansas. He is a civil rights attorney who earned both his bachelor's and law degrees from the Catholic University of America. His career in public service includes work with then-Senator Barack Obama. During the Obama administration, Jawando served as an advisor to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He is the author of the memoir "My Seven Black Fathers."

• Shelly Skolnick — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Shelly Skolnick, a Republican attorney from Chevy Chase, is a candidate for Montgomery County Executive. A perennial candidate, this is his second bid for county executive and ninth run for public office overall, having previously campaigned for a County Council seat and the 8th Congressional District. His platform prioritizes government efficiency, proposing to eliminate the four at-large County Council seats in favor of 11 district-based representatives. Skolnick also advocates for offering free tuition at Montgomery College in exchange for volunteer work in the county government and supports the retrocession of Washington, D.C.'s residential areas to Maryland.

• Esther Wells — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Esther Wells is a Republican candidate for Montgomery County Executive. A Certified Public Accountant with a Master's in Taxation, she is the president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. Wells previously ran for the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2022. Her campaign platform centers on fiscal accountability, including zero-based budgeting and audits of the county's operating budget to reduce costs. She prioritizes public safety through increased police staffing and the restoration of School Resource Officers. Wells also advocates for creating a more business-friendly environment to attract new corporations and broaden the tax base.

• Celeste C. Iroha — County Executive in Montgomery, Maryland

  Celeste C. Iroha was a Democratic candidate for County Executive in Montgomery County, Maryland. A healthcare professional with eight years of experience as a Registered Medical Assistant and Community Health Worker, her platform prioritized healthcare equity. Iroha is also a gun violence survivor and an advocate for gun safety legislation. She earned an associate degree from Brightwood College in 2017. In October 2025, she withdrew from the race for health reasons. Prior to her county executive campaign, she had filed to run for U.S. House in Maryland's 4th Congressional District but did not appear on the primary ballot.