By Adam Pagnucco.
Council District 1 Republican candidate Reardon “Sully” Sullivan sent out a mailer last week attacking his opponent, Democrat and Board of Education Member Julie Yang, on the issue of antisemitism. The mailer quotes me and relates to an event that occurred in the Democratic primary. Accordingly, I have a few things to say about it before leaving it to you, the reader, to reach a judgment.
First, let’s have a look at Sully’s mailer, which appears below.
Sully’s mailer quotes me as writing this about Yang: “Her mailer used a quote implying an endorsement that actually went to an opponent.” The mailer attributes that quote to this column, which I published on June 4.
That column printed a mailer Yang sent on the subject of antisemitism during the primary. In the mailer, Yang used this quote from Washington Jewish Week: “Julie Yang brings a clear record from the Board of Education, where she has been a visible and persistent voice confronting antisemitism in Montgomery County Public Schools.” However, the column does not contain the language attributed to me in Sully’s mailer. Instead, this is what I wrote.
Jewish voters have an outsized impact in MoCo Democratic primaries and many of them live in District 1. Yang is smart to appeal to this constituency. One note: the mailer features a supportive quote from a Washington Jewish Week editorial. Fellow District 1 candidate Debbie Spielberg accurately stated in a press release that she and not Yang was endorsed by the media outlet.
Candidates sometimes use nice statements from individuals and/or entities that do not endorse them. For example, Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass and Will Jawando all ran complimentary quotes from Congressman Jamie Raskin even though he did not endorse a candidate in the county executive primary. In Yang’s case, Washington Jewish Week printed something positive about her but actually endorsed one of her Democratic primary rivals, Debbie Spielberg, instead. Spielberg sent out a press release about this at the time, which I reprint below.
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May 28, 2026
Contact: info@debbiespielberg.org
DEBBIE SPIELBERG IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE ENDORSED BY WASHINGTON JEWISH WEEK FOR THE DISTRICT 1 COUNCIL SEAT
Montgomery County MD – To set the record straight, in light of a recent mailer by one of my opponents, Washington Jewish Week endorsed only one candidate, Debbie Spielberg, in the race for the District 1 seat on the County Council.
The decision was based on three main criteria: “Which candidates have demonstrated a willingness to confront anti-Semitism directly, support security funding for vulnerable institutions, and resist pressures to exclude Jews from public life unless they disavow their connection to Israel?’ Debbie Spielberg best met these criteria.
Unfortunately, Julie Yang has sent out a mailer implying that she has received the Washington
Jewish Week endorsement. That’s not accurate.
Here’s what she said, quoting the endorsement announcement:
“Julie Yang brings a clear record from the Board of Education, where she has been a visible and persistent voice confronting antisemitism in Montgomery County Public Schools.”
Here’s the full quote on the District 1 race from Washington Jewish Week:
“Debbie Spielberg has 17 years of experience and an understanding of local government, having served as Council staff and as special assistant to the county executive. Julie Yang brings a clear record from the Board of Education, where she has been a visible and persistent voice confronting antisemitism in Montgomery County Public Schools. Both candidates have familiarity with and sensitivity to many issues of concern to our community. On balance, we favor Spielberg.” (emphasis added)
https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/editorial-montgomery-countys-primary-choices-matter/
For more information contact the Spielberg campaign at info@debbiespielberg.org.
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The above account summarizes the facts relevant to Sully’s mailer. Is it fair? That’s a judgment for you, the reader, to make.