Who’s endorsing whom in the 2026 primary contests for Md. General Assembly
Competitive races taking place in about half of MoCo’s nine state legislative districts
By
Louis PeckJune 15, 2026 11:51 a.m.
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Most of Montgomery County is comprised of eight multimember state legislative districts – each represented by a senator and three members of the House of Delegates in the Maryland General Assembly, with all of those districts contained entirely within the county’s borders.
In 2022, the decennial redistricting process added a portion of a ninth district – which, while primarily based in neighboring Howard County, was redrawn to include a portion of northern Montgomery County. As a result, what had been a county legislative delegation of 32 increased to 35 – with nine senators and 26 delegates, the largest in Annapolis of any of Maryland’s 24 major jurisdictions.
This year, there are contested Democratic primaries for the Senate seats in three of those districts: 16, 17, and 39. In addition, there are Democratic primaries for the House of Delegates in seven of those jurisdictions: Districts 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 39. The most intense competition appears to be focused on about half of those districts, due in part to open seat races created by a couple of retirements.
There are no Republican primaries in any of the county’s legislative districts, and Republicans have put up candidates for only two Senate seats and in just three House districts in November. (There has not been a Republican elected to the county’s legislative delegation in nearly 25 years.) So, most of the winners of the June 23 Democratic primary will be guaranteed a return to Annapolis for the next four years.
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Here is a compilation of Democratic primary endorsements for the county’s seats in the General Assembly. (The eight districts entirely within Montgomery County are currently represented by eight senators and 24 delegates, all of them Democrats. Howard County-based District 9 is also represented by a Democratic senator, while the two delegates currently representing District 9A are Democrats as well.)
Included in the endorsement list are the choices of organizations that are well-known locally and have established a presence in recent elections — thanks to membership, money or both. Check here for a list of endorsements in this year’s contested elections for county executive and County Council, as well as the Board of Education and the county’s “courthouse” officials.
Some explanatory notes about the organizations whose endorsements are listed below:
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The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) represents more than 14,000 teachers and other non-supervisory educational professionals in the county school system; the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500 represents the school system’s 9,500-member support staff.
The membership of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 MCGEO includes about 5,300 of the county’s full-time employees – while 1,100 more are career firefighters who belong to IAFF Local 1664.
SEIU 32BJ represents many property service workers at office and apartment buildings in the county. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 3 draws its membership from employees of state government and Maryland’s higher education system, while the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO is the state council of that national labor federation. Progressive Maryland is a statewide issue advocacy group that coordinates with religious and community groups and labor union locals.
While the Sierra Club endorses candidates at both the county and state level, endorsements for county offices are made by the club’s “Montgomery County Group”; endorsements at the state legislative level are the province of the Sierra Club’s Maryland Chapter. Another leading state environmental group, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, limits its Montgomery County endorsements to state legislative races.
CASA in Action is the political arm of CASA, which bills itself as the largest Latino and immigrant organization in Maryland.
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For many years, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland endorsed for both state- and county-level offices. That group has dissolved since the 2022 election cycle, and has been supplanted by a new pro-abortion rights organization, Reproductive Justice Maryland—which has opted this year to limit its endorsements to congressional and state legislative contests
General Assembly
House of Delegates, District 9A (Clarksburg/Damascus/Hyattstown)
Approximately 16,000 county residents are now in this district; they comprise about 12 percent of District 9 and approximately 20 percent of District 9A; In District 9, the incumbent Democratic senator – Katie Fry Hester of Howard County – has no primary opposition, and will face a Republican challenger, Ben Hightower, also of Howard County, in the November election.
In District 9A, Democratic Dels. Chao Wu and Natalie Ziegler, both residents of Clarksville in Howard County, are unopposed for renomination, and will face Republican candidates Fitzgerald Mofor and Spencer Rhoda, both of Damascus, in the fall.
House of Delegates, District 14 (Burtonsville/Brookeville/Clarksburg/Damascus/Fairland/Laytonsville/Olney)
The incumbent senator, Democrat Craig Zucker, is unopposed in both the primary and general election in his bid for a third full term.
Zucker and two of the district’s incumbent delegates, Democrats Anne Kaiser and Bernice Mireku-North, are running as a slate, and have added Matt Post of Olney to that slate in place of Del. Pam Queen, who is retiring. Also in the delegate contest is Alicia Contreras-Donello of Cloverly.
There are no Republican candidates for delegate in November, ensuring that the Democratic primary winners will be seated in the House of Delegates next January.
- Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA): Anne Kaiser, Bernice Mireku-North, Matt Post
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500: Kaiser, Mireku-North, Post
- SEIU 32BJ: Kaiser
- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 MCGEO: Kaiser, Mireku-North, Post
- Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters/IAFF Local 1664: Kaiser, Mireku-North, Post
- American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): Kaiser, Mireku-North, Post
- Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO: Kaiser, Mireku-North, Post
- Progressive Maryland: Mireku-North, Post
- CASA in Action: Alicia Contreras-Donello, Kaiser, Mireku-North
- League of Conservation Voters: Kaiser, Mireku-North
- Sierra Club: Contreras-Donello, Kaiser, Mireku-North
- Reproductive Justice Maryland Action: Contreras-Donello, Kaiser, Post
House of Delegates, District 15 (Potomac/NorthPotomac/Bethesda/Boyds/Clarksburg/Darnestown/Poolesville)
The incumbent senator, Democrat Brian Feldman, has no primary opposition and also is unopposed in November as he seeks a fourth full term.
Feldman and the three incumbent Democratic delegates—Linda Foley, David Fraser-Hidalgo and Lily Qi—are seeking re-election as a slate. The incumbent delegates face primary opposition from Asher Beckwitt of Germantown.
Peter Chan of Boyds is the only Republican candidate for delegate on the November ballot.
- MCEA: Linda Foley, David Fraser-Hidalgo, Lily Qi
- SEIU Local 500: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- SEIU 32BJ: Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- UFCW MCGEO: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo
- Career Fire Fighters: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- AFSCME: Foley, Qi
- AFL-CIO: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- Progressive Maryland: Foley
- CASA in Action: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo
- League of Conservation Voters: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- Sierra Club: Foley, Fraser-Hidalgo, Qi
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Foley
House of Delegates/Senate, District 16 (Bethesda/North Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac)
The district’s four Democratic incumbents–-Sen. Sara Love and Dels. Marc Korman, Sarah Wolek and Teresa Woorman—are facing primary opposition. Love is being challenged by Lou James Bartolo of Chevy Chase.
Korman, the only member of the delegation elected rather than appointed to his current term, is running for a fourth term on a slate with Love—a former delegate appointed in 2024 to fill the vacant Senate seat. Wolek and Woorman were appointed in 2023 and 2024, respectively, to fill vacancies, and are both facing District 16 voters for the first time. Also in the Democratic primary is Tazeen Ahmad of Potomac, a former president of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club.
The sole Republican on the District 16 ballot in November is Ann Hingston of Bethesda, who is seeking one of the three delegate slots.
- MCEA: Sara Love, Marc Korman, Sarah Wolek, Teresa Woorman
- SEIU Local 500: Love, Korman, Wolek, Woorman
- UFCW MCGEO: Love, Korman, Wolek, Woorman
- Career Fire Fighters: Love, Korman
- AFSCME: Love, Tazeen Ahmad, Korman, Wolek
- AFL-CIO: Ahmad, Korman, Wolek, Woorman
- Progressive Maryland: Woorman
- CASA in Actiion: Korman, Wolek, Woorman
- League of Conservation Voters: Love, Korman, Wolek
- Sierra Club: Love, Korman
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Love, Ahmad, Korman, Wolek, Woorman
Both the state AFL-CIO and Reproductive Justice Maryland Action opted to endorse four candidates for three available delegate nominations in District 16. An official of the political arm of Reproductive Justice Maryland indicated its board had decided to back candidates who requested endorsement and met the organization’s criteria, regardless of the number of available seats.
House of Delegates/Senate, District 17 (Rockville/Gaithersburg)
The incumbent senator, Democrat Cheryl Kagan, has primary opposition from Philip Cook of Gaithersburg. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Helene Meister in November.
The three Democratic delegates seeking re-election – Julie Palakovich Carr, Ryan Spiegel and Joe Vogel—are running on a slate with Kagan, and face primary opposition from Christopher Reed of Rockville. No Republicans are running for delegate in the district this fall.
- MCEA: Cheryl Kagan, Julie Palakovich Carr, Ryan Spiegel, Joe Vogel
- SEIU Local 500: Kagan, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- UFCW MCGEO: Philip Cook, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel
- Career Fire Fighters: Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- AFSCME: Kagan, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- AFL-CIO: Kagan, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- Progressive Maryland: Palakovich Carr
- CASA in Action: Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- League of Conservation Voters: Kagan, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel
- Sierra Club: Kagan, Palakovich Carr, Spiegel, Vogel
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Palakovich Carr, Spiegel
MCGEO’s decision to back Kagan’s primary challenger is the upshot of a long-time bumpy relationship between Kagan and that union, with the latest flashpoint the District 17 senator’s decision to endorse Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell Uy—whom MCGEO, which represents employees of the sheriff’s office, is trying to oust in the June 23 primary.
House of Delegates, District 18 (Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Garrett Park/Kensington/Wheaton/Silver Spring)
Democratic Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher has no primary opposition this year after facing spirited intraparty challenges in his two previous campaigns. With no Republican challenger in November, Waldstreicher is guaranteed a third term in the Senate after previously serving three terms in the House of Delegates.
The three incumbent delegates—two-term Democrats Emily Shetty and Jared Solomon and one-term Democrat Aaron Kaufman—appeared to have escaped primary opposition this year until Kate Stein of Chevy Chase, vice president of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club, filed on the last day of the filing period. The three winners of the Democratic primary are ensured a return to Annapolis, with no Republicans running in the district this fall.
- MCEA: Aaron Kaufman, Emily Shetty, Jared Solomon
- SEIU Local 500: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- SEIU 32BJ: Shetty, Solomon
- UFCW MCGEO: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- Career Fire Fighters: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- AFSCME: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- AFL-CIO: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- Progressive Maryland: Kaufman
- CASA in Action: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- League of Conservation Voters: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- Sierra Club: Kaufman, Shetty, Solomon
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Kaufman, Solomon, Kate Stein
House of Delegates, District 19 (Aspen Hill/Derwood/Rockville/Silver Spring)
The incumbent senator, Democrat Ben Kramer, has no opposition in the primary or general election, and is on his way to a third Senate term after three prior terms in the House of Delegates.
Kramer and the two incumbent delegates, Charlotte Crutchfield and Vaughn Stewart, are running as a slate. In addition, five Democratic challengers have taken aim at the seat being vacated by four-term Del. Bonnie Cullison. The candidates include: Sunil Dasgupta of Rockville, Sebastian Johnson of Glenmont, Gabriel Sorrel of Gaithersburg, Alec Stone of Silver Spring, and Christa Tichy of Aspen Hill.
No Republicans have filed to take on the three winners of the Democratic primary for House of Delegates in the district this fall.
- MCEA: Charlotte Crutchfield, Sunil Dasgupta, Vaughn Stewart
- SEIU Local 500: Crutchfield, Sebastian Johnson, Stewart
- SEIU 32BJ: Stewart
- UFCW MCGEO: Crutchfield, Stewart, Christa Tichy
- Career Fire Fighters: Crutchfield, Stewart
- AFSCME: Crutchfield, Stewart, Tichy
- AFL-CIO: Crutchfield, Stewart, Tichy
- Progressive Maryland: Johnson, Stewart, Tichy
- CASA in Action: Crutchfield, Johnson, Stewart
- League of Conservation Voters: Crutchfield, Stewart
- Sierra Club: Crutchfield, Stewart
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Crutchfield
District 20 (Silver Spring/Takoma Park/White Oak)
The Democratic incumbents—Sen. Will Smith and Dels. Lorig Charkoudian, David Moon and Jheanelle Wilkins—are all unopposed in the June 23 primary in what is the county’s most overwhelmingly Democratic state legislative district. The four also have no opposition in the fall, guaranteeing them four more years in Annapolis—where Smith and Wilkins both chair powerful committees, Charkoudian is vice-chair of another influential panel, and Moon serves as the House of Delegates’ majority leader.
House of Delegates/Senate, District 39 (Gaithersburg/Germantown/Montgomery Village)
This arguably has been the county’s most fractious state legislative district in recent years. The upstart victory of Del. Gabriel Acevero, a self-professed Democratic socialist, in 2018 ushered in a period of scratchy relations between Acevero and his district colleagues.
As she did four years ago, long-time Sen. Nancy King this year is again heading a slate—consisting of Dels. Lesley Lopez and Greg Wims and Gaithersburg Councilmember Robert Wu—in an effort to deny renomination to Acevero. Also in the delegate race is George Lluberes of Germantown.
In the Senate primary, King—who has represented the district in the House and later the Senate since 2003—is herself facing a challenge from Amar Mukunda of Gaithersburg and Destiny Drake West of Germantown. No Republicans are running for either the Senate or House of Delegates in this district, ensuring victory in November to the winners of the Democratic primaries.
- MCEA: Nancy King, Gabriel Acevero, Lesley Lopez, Greg Wims
- SEIU Local 500: King, Acevero, Lopez, Wims
- SEIU 32BJ: Acevero
- UFCW MCGEO: King, Lopez, Wims, Robert Wu
- Career Fire Fighters: King, Lopez, Wims
- AFSCME: King, Acevero, Wims
- AFL-CIO: King, Acevero, Lopez, Wims
- Progressive Maryland: Amar Mukunda, Acevero
- Democratic Socialists of America: Acevero
- CASA in Action: Mukunda, Acevero, Lopez, Wims
- League of Conservation Voters: Mukunda, Lopez, Wims, Wu
- Sierra Club: Mukunda, Acevero
- Reproductive Justice Maryland: Mukunda, Acevero, Lopez, Wu
King’s positions on transportation issues—notably, her support of widening of the Capital Beltway and I-270—have put her at odds with environmental groups; this year, both the Sierra Club and Maryland League of Conservation Voters opted to back Mukunda, a 33-year-old entrepreneur and engineer over King, currently the Senate’s majority leader.
Louis Peck, a contributing editor for Bethesda Magazine, can be reached at: lou.peck@bethesdamagazine.com.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine