By Deborah Bailey
AFRO Contributing Editor
Montgomery County Council Vice President Will Jawando (D-At-large) is back on the campaign trail. Jawando announced his first bid for Montgomery County executive in the spring and now the campaign is heating up with post Labor Day endorsements from Progressive Maryland and Working Families Party.
The two powerhouse endorsements represent progressive groups with backing that includes labor unions, child advocacy organizations, and community activists. The two groups, which threw their support behind Jawando Aug. 3, have an assertive campaigning style that set the tone for other recent local and state elections.
“We are thrilled to announce our endorsement of Will Jawando for Montgomery County Executive. Alongside Maryland’s Working Families Party, we are looking forward to supporting Councilman Jawando’s campaign digitally and in the field,” Progressive Maryland posted on Facebook Sept. 5. The organization held a press conference Sept. 3 announcing their endorsement.
Jawando first announced his run for the county executive post in May of this year, alongside current Montgomery County Executive Marc Erlich. Erlich, who is half-way through his second and final term at the county’s helm, has endorsed and is actively campaigning for Jawando.
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy has also announced her support for Jawando. “There’s no mistake about his purpose, his values, his understanding of the issues,” declared Braveboy in support of Jawando.
In addition to Erlich and Braveboy’s support, Jawando’s peers at-large Councilmember Laurie-Anne-Sayles and District 5 Councilmember Kristin Mink have also formally endorsed his candidacy.
Jawando, a native of Silver Spring, Md., was first sworn in as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council on Dec. 22, 2018. He won a second term in December 2022 and became chair of the Education and Culture Committee. He was named vice president of the Council in December 2024.
Jawando previously ran in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in 2023 against current U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and former Congressman David Trone before dropping out of the race in October 2023. He endorsed Alsobrooks just days after.
The Montgomery County executive’s race already boasts five candidates vying to replace Erlich. In addition to Jawando, Montgomery County Councilmen Andrew Friedson (D-District 1) and Evan Glass (D-At-large) will seek to trade their current council seats for the executive’s post. Silver Spring resident and health care worker Celeste Ihora was the first person to enter the contest in March and is also filing as a Democrat. Mithun Banerjee, CEO at Banerjee Holdings, LLC in Silver Spring, is the fifth Democratic candidate. So far, no Republican candidates have filed to become Erlich’s successor. The deadline for candidate filing is Feb. 24, 2026.