At rally, Jawando supporters allege ‘dark money’ interference in MoCo executive race
Critics say donors to Friedson campaign also funding anti-Jawando Affordable Maryland PAC; Friedson campaign says claims are ‘false’
By
Ceoli JacobyMay 28, 2026 12:06 p.m.
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Dozens of supporters of Will Jawando’s campaign rallied outside the Silver Spring Civic Building on Wednesday to call out alleged “dark money” interference in the Montgomery County executive race, including spending by the Affordable Maryland political action committee.
Jawando, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, is one of three sitting councilmembers seeking the Democratic nomination for county executive in the June 23 primary election. The others are Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Evan Glass (D-At-large).
Throughout this election cycle, Friedson’s opponents have accused him of being beholden to the real estate and development industry figures donating to his campaign and — in some cases — the entities spending money to oppose Jawando’s candidacy.
In a press release last week following the recent round of campaign finance filings with the State Board of Elections, Jawando’s campaign argued that the Affordable Maryland PAC is connected to Friedson through common donors, including Elm Street Development President and Principal David Flanagan, who gave Friedson the maximum $6,000 last year.
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Jawando supporters repeated that claim during Wednesday’s rally.
“Wealthy interests help Andrew Friedson double dip, because many of them donate the max allowed directly to his campaign and then donate huge amounts again to the super PAC to attack his opponent,” said Cheryl Gannon, an organizer with Neighbors for Will who is also president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation.
In a Thursday statement to Bethesda Today, Friedson campaign manager John Block wrote Friedson “has built a broad and wide-ranging grassroots coalition of supporters in every corner of Montgomery County, receiving over 2,300 individual contributions” and winning endorsements from several other elected officials and advocacy groups.
“While other candidates in this race are resorting to false allegations to distract from their record of consistently voting for higher taxes, including voting for a [county] budget that raised property and income taxes just last week, Andrew has always been focused on fighting the cost of living crisis and making our county a place where everyone can afford to live, work, and raise a family,” Block wrote.
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Friedson is the only Democratic candidate for county executive who is financing his campaign through private donations alone. Jawando and Glass are participating in the county’s public financing system, meaning they must refuse direct contributions from groups, organizations and corporations.
Gannon on Wednesday also characterized the Affordable Maryland PAC as a “developer Super PAC that has nothing to do with affordability” and warned that its donors seek to “drown out the voices of voters and buy this election.”
In a Wednesday statement to Bethesda Today, Affordable Maryland PAC Chair Jonathan Robinson wrote that “Montgomery County has become one of the least affordable places in the country.”
“We welcome support from anyone who shares that concern — young adults who can’t afford to move [out] of their parents’ basement, families who can’t afford a house, seniors who can’t afford to stay, workers who can’t afford to live anywhere near work, employers who can’t recruit because of the cost of living, and yes, people in the housing industry who want to build the homes the county needs,” Robinson wrote. “That is a broad coalition, and it reflects the breadth of this problem. Our arguments stand on their own.”
The Affordable Maryland PAC — a so-called “super PAC” formed in 2022 to oppose the re-election of County Executive Marc Elrich — was mostly dormant until earlier this month, when it began spending money on TV ads opposing Jawando’s county executive campaign. Jawando is endorsed by Elrich, who is term-limited and cannot seek re-election this year. Elrich instead is running for an at-large council seat.
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Anti-Jawando ads
State elections board records show Affordable Maryland on May 11 paid nearly $232,000 to 2020 Insight LLC, an Atlanta, Georgia-based company that describes itself on its website as a “full service public opinion research firm.”
On May 15, Affordable Maryland paid an additional $331,050 to the same company. That same day, the PAC published an ad titled “One Job” alleging that Jawando — as chair of the County Council’s Education and Culture Committee — allowed scandal and poor academic outcomes to proliferate in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
Affordable Maryland also paid to develop a website titled “No on Jawando,” which carries the “One Job” ad and other materials criticizing Jawando’s record on taxes, housing and the economy during his eight years on the council. The PAC still had $940,455 available to spend as of its most recent campaign finance report filed May 19.
Pia Morrison, president of SEIU Local 500, the union representing MCPS support staff, said during Wednesday’s rally that the materials paid for by Affordable Maryland is “misleading.”
“Let me be clear: these ads are false, they’re disruptive, and they’re designed to confuse and undermine Will’s record and his character,” Morrison said. SEIU Local 500, as well as the local teachers union Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), have endorsed Jawando in his bid for county executive.
“As chair of the Education and Culture Committee, Will Jawando fought to protect funding for our schools,” MCEA Executive Director Leah Nayman said at Wednesday’s rally. “He consistently advocates for our educators, our students, our community.”
While the Jawando campaign cannot accept direct contributions from political action committees, his campaign has also been the subject of a supportive independent expenditure campaign by CASA in Action, the political arm of the immigrant advocacy group We Are CASA. That PAC has reported spending $49,000 to boost Jawando’s run.
The Glass campaign appeared to reference that and other PAC spending benefitting Jawando in a Wednesday statement to Bethesda Today. Jawando participated in public campaign financing during his initial run for County Council in 2018, and then used traditional campaign financing for his 2022 re-election bid.
“Evan Glass is the only candidate who has consistently refused to take corporate money, PAC money or special interest money throughout his time in elected office,” Glass’ campaign manager Cody Bibeau wrote. “Evan has always been on the side of Montgomery County residents – never on the side of special interests.”
Bethesda Today reporter Elia Griffin contributed to this story.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine