Will Jawando, the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County executive, told supporters on Election Night that early returns looked strong, while urging them to stay involved because “we’re going to need each other to do the hard work of governing.”
Speaking at his watch party as counting continued, Jawando said he had been told that with just about 150,000 votes counted, he had “won over 82 percent of the vote.” “There’s a lot more to count,” he said.
The Maryland State Board of Elections’ unofficial returns, last refreshed at 3:44 a.m. Wednesday, showed Jawando, a Democrat, with 242,676 votes, or 77.91%, to Republican Esther Wells’ 67,640 votes, or 21.71%, with all 257 Montgomery County Election Day precincts reported. Provisional ballots had not yet been reported.
Small Donors and Volunteers
Jawando credited volunteers who knocked on doors and made calls, and said the campaign relied on small donors. He first said the campaign had received more than 3,000 individual contributions of between $5 and $50, then corrected himself to say it was nearly 5,000. “My name was on the ballot, but it was all those little contributions,” he said.
Priorities for the County
Jawando said everyone should have “a great school in their neighborhood,” a safe neighborhood, a job that “pays a living wage,” and the ability to “retire with dignity.” He described his own family’s search for affordable housing as a child, saying they lived in apartments where roaches and mice were rampant, and that “there’s still people living like that in Montgomery County.”
He described the county he wants to lead as one where “every senior can stay in the home that they built,” where “we don’t acquiesce to billion dollar tech CEOs” and where “we take care of our immigrant neighbors and each other.”
Thanks and Party Work
Jawando thanked his wife, Michelle, whom he called the “first lady elect,” along with his children and other family. He thanked groups that backed his campaign, including SEIU 500, CASA in Action, Jews United for Justice and AFGE. He also said he plans to work with the county’s Democratic central committee to strengthen the party locally.
He said he had been with Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller earlier in the day and noted that they, too, had been declared winners. The board’s unofficial statewide returns at 3:44 a.m. showed Moore with 62.55% and Republican Dan Cox with 33.17%, with 1,967 of 1,979 Election Day precincts reported. Jawando also thanked Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Health and Building a Team
Jawando said he is “seven and a half weeks after a heart attack” and that the experience taught him he cannot do the job alone. “I definitely can’t do it by myself now,” he said. He said he will build what he called the best, smartest and most diverse team Montgomery County has seen, and that many of its members are already working for him.
A Call to Keep Showing Up
Jawando closed by asking supporters to stay engaged. “We have to stick together,” he said. He said he would need them to testify before the County Council in support of big policy proposals. “This is what democracy looks like,” he said, and added, “let’s get back to work.”
These are unofficial returns. Official results will be certified by the Maryland State Board of Elections.
