By Adam Pagnucco.
John Block, who is managing Council Member Andrew Friedson’s run for county executive, has sent out a memo to supporters laying out Friedson’s path to victory. Will it work?
In the memo, Block refers to an internal poll conceding that two of Friedson’s opponents (fellow Council Members Evan Glass and Will Jawando) are “slightly better known” but alleging that “their initial higher name IDs are not translating into higher vote share.”
The memo says nothing about current horse race results, an interesting omission. It does say, “After voters hear more information about Andrew and the upcoming election, he opens up a significant advantage, leading the field with 38% support, opening up a commanding 15% lead on the closest competitor.” That means Friedson has been doing message testing which shows some success in the poll. This is a common polling tactic used by competent campaigns but by itself it does not guarantee success.
As for message, a lot of it is going to be about taxes. The memo refers to County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed tax hikes and states: “Both Glass and Jawando have significant vulnerabilities from their positions on taxes. It is an important framework to distinguish Andrew and set him apart from the field. Communicating this contrast message between Andrew and his two main opponents is essential to making the choice clear for voters in this close race.”
Even before Elrich’s current tax proposal, the candidates have different records on the issue. Three years ago, the council approved a 4.7% tax property tax increase. Glass voted for it, Friedson opposed it and Jawando voted against it because he thought it should be higher. Last year, Elrich first proposed raising the property tax and then switched to favoring an increase in the income tax. Jawando supported Elrich’s income tax increase which matches his proposed increase this year. Let’s be clear: neither the income tax nor the property tax increases are taxes on the rich. Everyone would pay them.
I’m skeptical about candidate horse race numbers in early polls. I wrote about the early polling by my former client, David Blair, and I reiterated my skepticism when writing about Glass’s early poll. But overwhelming opposition to tax increases showed up in Greater Greater Washington’s poll and Friedson has the money to make this point to voters. What will they think when they learn that the average single family homeowner would have to pay more than $900 in new property taxes under Elrich’s proposal?
Friedson is a district-based candidate who is running against two strong county-wide office holders in Glass and Jawando with the latter possessing the mighty Apple Ballot. Will a combination of a big fundraising advantage plus a message on affordability and taxes elevate Friedson over his competitors? We shall see, but at least Friedson knows his path and he has the resources to make it work.
The campaign’s memo to supporters appears below.
*****
To: Friends and Supporters
From: John Block, Campaign Manager
Date: March 24, 2026
Re: Under Three Months To Go
We are exactly 13 weeks from the June 23rd primary so I wanted to provide an update on our momentum and the state of the race as we head into this final stretch as this campaign extends beyond insiders and into the increased awareness of the broader electorate.
1 – Our polling confirms what other recently released polling shows: the race is wide open, with a majority of voters still undecided. Here are some other key take-aways:
- Andrew has the best opportunity to introduce himself to voters and grow his support. While Jawando and Glass are slightly better known, their initial higher name IDs are not translating into higher vote share. Andrew starts this final stage of the campaign in strong shape against two better known opponents, and has the most room to define himself with voters.
- Andrew’s track record and vision focused on affordability is most compelling to likely voters. We see Andrew’s message resonating very powerfully with the broadest segments of the Democratic Primary electorate, with 51% finding his message very appealing, Friedson’s profile is more appealing than either Jawando’s and Glass’s, and he gains the most after voters hear balanced, positive introductions of all candidates.
- The contrast between the top three candidates on taxes and affordability is powerful.Both Glass and Jawando have significant vulnerabilities from their positions on taxes. It is an important framework to distinguish Andrew and set him apart from the field. Communicating this contrast message between Andrew and his two main opponents is essential to making the choice clear for voters in this close race.
- The more information voters have about the race, the better Andrew does. After voters hear more information about Andrew and the upcoming election, he opens up a significant advantage, leading the field with 38% support, opening up a commanding 15% lead on the closest competitor.
2 – Last week, the central contrast of this race became even more stark. As you may have seen, current County Executive Marc Elrich proposed a massive property tax and income tax hike in his most recent budget. Andrew has stood forcefully against these burdens in the past and once again took a leadership role in opposing them now. You can read his full statement on the proposed increases here: Councilmember Andrew Friedson’s Statement on Proposed FY27 Tax Increases.
3 – We have officially launched our campaign’s first digital ad. You can watch it here. As you saw above, it is critical for voters to know exactly where Andrew stands on affordability. As we enter the final stage of the campaign, we are the first to start communicating with voters broadly about a key issue.
Conclusion: Andrew has put himself in a strong position to win by earning the support of a wide range of early supporters. He has now been endorsed by the career and volunteer firefighters, retired public school teachers, the majority of the State Senate delegation, David Blair and Hans Riemer (who represented 60% of the vote in the 2022 Executive race), and countless local, municipal, and community leaders. We know Andrew has a clear path to victory if we can communicate directly with voters. Polling demonstrates the more voters learn about Andrew, the more his support grows – making our ability to fund a grassroots organizing effort (with mailers and ads) mission critical. We have set a goal to raise $50,000 before the end of March to ensure we stay on the air and continue to define this race on our terms.