By Adam Pagnucco.
After Council Member Andrew Friedson, who is running for executive, released an internal poll showing that he is gaining ground, one of his competitors – Will Jawando – released a poll showing a three-way tie race. On that point, the two polls agree.
Jawando’s pollster is Hart Research, the same pollster who worked for David Blair in 2022 and accurately predicted trends in that race. Friedson’s poll of 400 likely Democratic Primary voters on May 26 to 28 had a margin of error of plus/minus 4.9 points and found Friedson at 25%, Jawando at 19% and Evan Glass at 18%. Jawando’s poll of 400 likely Democratic Primary voters on May 28 to 31 had a margin of error of plus/minus 5.0 points and found Friedson at 26%, Jawando at 26% and Evan Glass at 25%.
Now we have two credible polls finding all three candidates within the margin of error as of last week. That means as of now, we have a three-way tie.
Reprinted below are Hart Research’s polling memo followed by the press release from Jawando’s campaign.
*****
TO: Will Jawando for Montgomery County
FROM: Hart Research Associates
DATE: June 3, 2026
RE: Recently-completed Survey of Montgomery County Democrats
Hart Research conducted a survey among 400 likely Democratic primary voters between May 28 and 31, 2026. The survey, which has a margin .of error of ±5.0%, was conducted off the voter file and is representative of a Democratic primary electorate by key factors such as race, age, gender, and council district.
Our survey shows the primary election for County Executive is essentially a three-way dead heat. In particular, Jawando’s current position is encouraging because he has been under attack by the Affordable Maryland SuperPAC, which combined with Friedson’s spending, has resulted in a spending disadvantage of at least four to one. However, the Jawando campaign has held resources for the final push and will be closer to parity in spending in the last few weeks for an electorate that is still up for grabs.
Two important findings:
First, one-fifth of the electorate is fully undecided, with another 40% supporting a candidate but with soft support, meaning that fully 60% of the Montgomery County electorate is persuadable.
Second, we note the trial heat results among the subset of voters who have heard information (positive OR negative OR both} about Will Jawando, and the results are virtually the same as the overall results (with Will having a slight advantage among this subgroup}, suggesting that Jawando definitely has room to grow his support as the campaign ramps up its spending and grassroots outreach during the important final weeks when the electorate gets more engaged.
*****
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2026
Contact: Jonathan Weinberg, info@willjawando.com
NEW POLL: Jawando Tied for First in Race for Montgomery County Executive, Even After $1.3 Million in Developer-Funded Attacks
Hart Research survey finds a statistical dead heat with three weeks to go; Jawando becomes first campaign to max out public financing
SILVER SPRING, MD — A new survey by Hart Research Associates finds the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive in a statistical dead heat, with Will Jawando tied for first at 26 percent, Andrew Friedson at 26 percent, and Evan Glass at 25 percent. The survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted May 28 to 31, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.0 percentage points. The result comes after the Affordable Maryland PAC, a Super PAC funded by developers, builders, and out-of-state real estate interests, assembled $1.3 million and launched a television campaign against Jawando with false, misleading attacks. According to the Hart memo, that outside spending combined with Friedson’s own resources, left Jawando outspent almost four to one over the last 5 weeks.
“They spent a fortune to stop me, and it hasn’t worked,” said Will Jawando. “This campaign is powered by thousands of neighbors, not developer checks. That’s why we’re tied for first even with all their money on the table.”
The attacks drew swift condemnation across the county. The leaders of Montgomery County’s three major school employee organizations, representing principals, educators, and support staff, denounced the ad as misleading. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who has not endorsed in the race, said he was “sickened” by its false claims about Jawando’s education record and called on all candidates to demand it be pulled. Later, residents, labor allies, and community organizations rallied in Silver Spring against the flood of outside money.3 Even after that $1.3 million effort, Hart finds the race tied.
“The developers funding these attacks know exactly what they’re doing,” Jawando added. “They want someone who will protect their profits instead of our residents. I won’t apologize for whose side I’m on, and I’m not backing down.”
Hart’s analysis points to an electorate that remains wide open and persuadable, with roughly one in five voters fully undecided and many more holding only soft support. The memo also notes that among voters who have already seen information about Jawando, positive or negative, he moves into first place in the trial heat.
The poll lands days after Jawando announced his campaign was the first in the race to qualify for the maximum available in public matching funds, an $870,170 match, at a Monday rally in Silver Spring alongside U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks. After maxing out public financing, Jawando will have the resources to compete on equal footing with both opponents through Election Day. Jawando is participating in the county’s public financing system, which bars corporate and PAC money and relies on small-dollar contributions from county residents matched with public funds.
The Hart memo, prepared by the firm directly for the campaign, is being released in full. The Democratic primary is June 23. Early voting runs June 11 through June 18.
Sources:
- Education leaders condemn the ad: WillJawando.com, “Education Leaders Condemn Super PAC Attack Ad Against Councilmember Will Jawando,” May 18, 2026.
https://www.willjawando.com/news/education-leaders-condemn-super-pac-ad/
- Senator Van Hollen’s statement: Montgomery Community Media, “Jawando supporters speak out against outside money and ‘lies,'” May 28, 2026.
https://www.mymcmedia.org/jawando-supporters-speak-out-against-outside-money-and-lies/
- Silver Spring rally: Bethesda Today, “At rally, Jawando supporters allege ‘dark money’ interference in MoCo executive race,” May 28, 2026.