By Adam Pagnucco.
Back in July, I reported that the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), wielder of the mighty Apple Ballot, planned to issue early endorsements for friendly incumbent members of the General Assembly. There was a catch, however: MCEA noted that appointees who had not previously been through their endorsement process were not eligible for early endorsements. Those appointees, along with other candidates, might still be endorsed later.
True to their word, the teachers have now endorsed most of MoCo’s incumbent state legislators. Here is their list.
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District 9
District 14
District 15
Delegate David Fraser‑Hidalgo (D)
District 16
District 17
Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr (D)
*Senator Kagan did not participate in MCEA’s interview process
District 18
Senator Jeff Waldstreicher (D)
District 19
Delegate Charlotte Crutchfield (D)
District 20
Delegate Lorig Charkoudian (D)
Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins (D)
District 39
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None of the appointees appear on the above list. That includes Senator Sara Love, who was appointed to her current seat but earned the Apple Ballot when she ran for delegate in 2022. Love currently has no opponent so it’s hard to imagine that she won’t be endorsed by MCEA and virtually every other group that plays in MoCo state legislative politics.
It’s noteworthy that MCEA endorsed Delegate Gabe Acevero. That’s no surprise because Acevero is a progressive who earned the Apple Ballot in both 2018 and 2022. This must be displeasing to his colleagues – Senator Nancy King, Delegate Lesley Lopez and appointed Delegate Greg Wims – who have teamed up with Gaithersburg City Council Member Robert Wu to defeat him. Unless MCEA issues four delegate endorsements – an unusual act – the teachers won’t be endorsing the full anti-Acevero slate. Acevero has to be happy about that.
Also of interest is that MCEA claims Senator Cheryl Kagan – who they endorsed in 2018 and 2022 – did not participate in their process this year but still received the Apple Ballot. Often, endorsing groups abstain from supporting candidates who don’t go through their endorsement process. However, Kagan has no opponent this time. Only fools pick needless fights with her so I get where the teachers are coming from.
The Apple Ballot will be a major factor in determining the fate of appointed delegates and open seats. It will be especially influential in District 14 (where Delegate Pam Queen is retiring and state teachers union staffer Matt Post is running hard), District 16 (where appointed Delegates Sarah Wolek and Teresa Woorman are facing Tazeen Ahmad) and District 39 (where Acevero is once again at war with his colleagues). Anyone who follows MoCo politics knows to closely watch the Apple Ballot, so we will return to this topic when more endorsements come in!