McCarthy, Lazo appear to win contested MoCo school board races  

Unofficial results show candidates leading with nearly all voting precincts reporting

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June 24, 2026 1:47 a.m. | Updated: June 24, 2026 1:53 a.m.

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Sally McCarthy appeared late Tuesday evening to have won the primary election for the open District 3 seat on the Montgomery County school board while Omar Lazo held the lead for an open at-large seat, according to the unofficial results from the Maryland State Board of Elections.  

Eleven candidates were on the ballot in the nonpartisan election for four-year terms on the school board. Board President Grace Rivera-Oven ran unopposed in her re-election bid for the District 1 seat. In addition to the District 3 seat being vacated by Julie Yang, the other seats on the ballot were the at-large seat being vacated by Karla Silvestre, and the District 5 seat being vacated by Brenda Wolff, who is retiring after two terms. 

Elma-Lorraine Diggs, a parent of two MCPS students and a former USAID worker, ran for the District 5 seat unopposed. Diggs said in announcing her campaign in January that she was running to ensure MCPS students have access to “schools that are safe, supportive” and prepare them for life.   

The five candidates seeking to replace Yang, who ran for County Council, were McCarthy, Sharon Creed, Brett DiResta, Andrew Frykman, and Cassandra “Cassi” Sung.    

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McCarthy earned about 46% of the votes cast in comparison to 13.6% for Creed, about 12% for Frykman, 10.8% for DiResta and 17.5% for Sung with 255 of 257 of the election day precincts reported. The results include ballots cast during the early voting period and some mail-in ballots. 

An education research consultant, McCarthy has served with the Montgomery County Council of PTAS for the past 15 years, according to her responses in Bethesda Today’s voters guide. McCarthy noted the school board must amplify its oversight to ensure MCPS provides clean and safe buildings and that students and staff have the resources they need to succeed.    

When discussing recent changes to the student code of conduct during an April candidate forum, McCarthy said MCPS made those changes during last summer, leaving families feeling left out of the process. The district needs to “employ well communicated and intentional outreach during the next revision cycle,” she said.  

The four at-large candidates running to replace Silvestre, who also ran for the council, were Lazo, Wylea Chase, Brenda Diaz, and Tiffany Wicks.   

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Lazo won about 33% of the vote in comparison to 30.8% for Diaz, 18.4% for Chase and 17.7% for Wicks with 255 of 257 of the election day precincts reported.  

Lazo is a small business owner who serves on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees. He wanted to see transparent leadership and accountability in MCPS and to bring “disciplined oversight to the budget,” according to his voters guide responses.  

During recent candidate forums, Lazo said fixing deteriorating conditions in school buildings is major priority, noting that issues such as the backlog of repairs to heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems has resulted in negative impacts on student learning. 

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine