By Adam Pagnucco.
Years ago, Maryland used to hold its gubernatorial primaries in September. Due to a new federal law, the state moved those primaries to June starting in 2014.
If this year’s primary was still held in September, would Council Member Andrew Friedson have won the Democratic nomination for county executive?
First, let’s specify why I’m asking that question. Below are the top ten stories on Montgomery Perspective in July 2026, ranked by page views.
1. MoCo’s Shocking Homeowner Tax Hike
2. How Big of a Problem is Antisemitism in MoCo?
4. Is the MCPS Budget in Trouble?
5. Will Stop the Spend Get On the Ballot?
6. Is MCPS Unfair to Black and Brown Students?
7. MoCo Conference Center Boycott Goes National
8. Vision Zero or Faulty Vision?
9. This is Why the County Needs Reserves
10. MoCo vs the Region in 2025: Conclusion
This list is a bit deceptive. The first article on the homeowner tax hike blew away everything else. As of this writing, it’s the third most-viewed article on this site over the last six months, trailing only State Board of Elections Wants “Detailed Written Explanation” from Jawando and Taylor: “What’s the Worst That Could Happen? They Fire Me?” That’s what a double-digit property tax bill increase will do.
The outrage over the tax increase goes far beyond this site. Comments on social media have been fired like bullets ever since the tax bills came out at the start of July. But it’s too late for the public to do anything about it since the primary was held on June 23. And if folks think they can react by voting for Republicans in the general election, well, no one from that party has won a partisan office in MoCo since 2002.
Friedson could see this coming. He repeatedly attacked his rivals, fellow Council Members Will Jawando and Evan Glass, for voting to eliminate the $692 Income Tax Offset Credit (ITOC) after they had previously voted to preserve it. He even put the dates of the primary and the tax bills’ publication in a mailer to help voters see what was coming. But it wasn’t enough to vault him to victory as Jawando won the primary prior to the release of the tax bills.
Friedson’s Save the Dates mailer on taxes.
That leads directly to my question about primary timing. For many years, Maryland’s gubernatorial primaries were held in September. That changed with the passage of HB 671 in 2011, which shifted the primary date to the last Tuesday in June. The bill’s fiscal note explains its rationale:
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In 2009, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act), which requires states to, among other things, send absentee ballots to military and overseas voters no later than 45 days before an election for federal office if a request is received prior to that time. Compliance with the requirement was problematic in 2010 for a number of states, including Maryland, that had primary elections scheduled relatively close to the November general election, which did not allow enough time for general election ballots to be finalized and sent 45 days prior to the election.
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Since that time, gubernatorial primaries have been held in June except for 2022, when the primary was delayed to July 19 because of redistricting litigation.
Now imagine if the primary was held in September as it once was. Friedson and the real estate community would have had more than two months to hammer home their message about taxes. Voters clutching their heavy tax bills would have had a real option to do something about it: vote against tax-hiking politicians in the Democratic primary, the election that really counts.
Would this have made a difference in the county executive race?
I’m not sure. Jawando won the primary by 8,224 votes, or seven points. That’s a significant margin for any one issue to overturn, even one as hot as taxes. Jawando also had numerous advantages that would have been unaffected by the issue, including his possession of the Apple Ballot, his strength in Black and Latino precincts and his performance in progressive areas like Takoma Park and Downtown Silver Spring. (I will publish a lot of data on those factors soon.) Would tax-shocked, left-wing voters have shifted from Jawando and Glass along with enough new voters to get Friedson over the finish line?
We’ll never know. But it’s a great what if question to ponder, especially since another tax hike looms. Good luck to Jawando and the new county council.