Milam holds substantial lead in Democratic primary for Montgomery County sheriff

Voters also elected register of wills, Circuit Court judges, state’s attorney and clerk of the court

June 24, 2026 12:30 a.m.

Montgomery County Sheriff candidate Will Milam and his son Jack at the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center in Burtonsville on primary election day. Photo credit: Elia Griffin

There’s a new sheriff in town. In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Montgomery County voters chose Poolesville resident Will Milam to be the county’s Democratic candidate for sheriff, eliminating Sheriff Maxwell Uy’s chances of a second term.

No Republicans filed to run for the post, which means Milam, a former assistant sheriff for Prince George’s County, is guaranteed to win the election to the four-year post in November.

The results follow a contentious race that was dominated by criticism of Uy from the local union representing sheriff deputies. The union claimed Uy cultivated a toxic work environment for deputies and mishandled staffing shortages. Uy repeatedly disputed the claims.

In a phone call Tuesday night, Milam told Bethesda Today that he was “deeply” grateful for the county voters who placed their trust in him and his vision for the county sheriff office.

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“Throughout this campaign, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with residents from all over the county. I’m thankful for those conversations … and for the opportunity to listen to the concerns and the priorities of the community,” Milam said.

Milam was wary of claiming victory just yet. But as of midnight on Wednesday, he had received more than 65% of the vote with 248 out of 247 precincts reporting. Uy received more than 34% of the vote, according to results posted by the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Uy did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s phone call and text requests for comment.

Voters also cast ballots for posts centered around Montgomery County Circuit Court, including circuit court judge, state’s attorney, clerk of the court and register of wills.

Sheriff race results

Early voting results that were available as of 8:07 p.m. indicated Milam’s strong lead over Uy. Milam received 14,158 votes in early voting, while Uy earned 7,191 votes.

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Uy, a Clarksburg resident, was elected sheriff in 2022, making him the first Asian American to hold the post in the county. He has been an employee of the sheriff’s office since 1994 and moved up through the ranks before being elected to the top position.

Starting in June 2025, Uy faced major backlash from UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, which alleged that Uy cultivated a toxic and hostile work environment, retaliated against employees and had not responsibly handled staffing shortages.

The union also has said morale is low among deputies and sheriff’s office employees are “leaving in droves.” In addition, the union accused Uy of mishandling state child support funds. In September, nearly 80% of union members in the sheriff’s office participated in a vote of no confidence in Uy’s leadership, the union said.

Milam repeated many of the union’s criticisms against Uy during his campaign and said he would turn the office around. Milam also focused on key priorities, including addressing workplace culture, improving staffing and focusing on expanding the office’s services with a dedicated domestic violence intervention unit. He has also discussed reforming the county’s eviction process.

Uy spent much of the campaign defending his performance and leadership and noted that recruiting efforts were a major priority for his office if re-elected, as well as serving county residents.

The county sheriff’s office oversees criminal warrant service, courthouse security and criminal transport, responses to domestic violence matters and child support enforcement, among other responsibilities, according to the county website.

Register of wills

Barbara Ebel, an Olney resident and longtime state workforce development official, also showed a strong lead in the race for register of wills. The post was left vacant after the death of former register Joe Griffin, who had served for nearly 26 years.

With more than 43% of the vote as of midnight on Wednesday, according to the state board of elections.

With her lead, Ebel is slated to run for register of wills in the November general election against Dolores Reyes, a Silver Spring resident and member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee. Reyes represents the 18th legislative district on the central committee and was the only Republican to run in the primary for register of wills.

Three Democrats ran against Ebel in the primary: Alan Bowser, an attorney and former federal worker from Silver Spring, and Paul Dollahite, a Kensington resident and the former administrator of the Montgomery County Orphans’ Court who was appointed to the register of wills post after Griffin’s death.

According to primary results from the state board of elections, Ebel received 30,236 votes, Dollahite received 22,156 votes and Bowser earned 17,654 votes.

Reyes, who ran unopposed, received 7,819 votes as of midnight on Wednesday.

The register of wills is an elected position responsible for probate services such as “appointing personal representatives to administer decedents’ estates and for overseeing the proper and timely administration of these proceedings,” the office’s website states. The register also provides safekeeping of the wills of living people and issues certificates of registered domestic partnerships.

Circuit Court judges

The four sitting judges who ran as a slate for four seats on the Montgomery County Circuit Court are expected to return to their posts on the bench, according to the State Board of Elections results.

The sitting judges are Sharon Burrell, Victor Del Pino, James Dietrich and Catherine McQueen. They faced off in the nonpartisan election against Rockville attorney Marylin Pierre, who ran for the bench for the fifth time.

Pierre received 30,574 votes, 11.5% of the votes, as of midnight on Wednesday.

Burrell received 64,674 votes, Del Pino received 55,227 votes, Dietrich received 52,971 votes and McQueen received 30,574 votes, according to the state elections board results.

Before her bid in 2026, Pierre had unsuccessfully run for a seat on the county Circuit Court bench in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024. Before becoming an attorney, Pierre served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, according to her campaign website.

Pierre has frequently criticized the state judicial nominating commission’s vetting process for circuit court judges, which requires the commission to send nominations to the governor to fill a court vacancy. She argues it is important for voters to choose judges themselves.

Maryland judges who are appointed by the governor must stand for election to a 15-year term in the next general election occurring one year after their nomination to the court, according to the state constitution.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine