By Adam Pagnucco.
Yesterday, I ran a statement from the campaign manager of Council Member Will Jawando, who is the Democratic nominee for county executive, that he will not be participating in general election debates with the Republican nominee, Esther Wells. Today, the Montgomery County Republican Party sent a response to that statement which I reprint below. (Note: this is their opinion, not necessarily mine.)
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Madison Was Right: Jawando Owes Voters a Debate
A candidate for Montgomery County Executive should face the public, defend the record, and answer questions beside an opponent.
For immediate publication
Montgomery County Republican Party (MCGOP)
“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” James Madison wrote those words in Federalist No. 10 because he understood a truth too many politicians would rather ignore: the public must never be asked to accept power without scrutiny. Voters are not expected to take a candidate’s word for it, bow to a party label, or rubber-stamp the preferences of an entrenched political class. They are entitled to hear competing views, test competing claims, and judge competing candidates for themselves.
That is why Will Jawando’s reported refusal to participate in any general-election debate or candidate forum with Republican County Executive candidate Esther Wells is not merely disappointing. It is contemptuous of Montgomery County voters.
Jawando seeks the office that controls the direction of one of Maryland’s largest and most consequential local governments. The County Executive shapes budgets, taxes, public-safety policy, land use, transportation, economic development, housing, and the performance of county agencies. The person holding that office answers not to party operatives or political consultants, but to more than one million residents who must live with the consequences of county decisions.
Yet when asked to meet his opponent before the public, Jawando’s reported answer is no.
That is not leadership. It is a debate dodge.
Esther Wells has called for open, public debates. Jawando should stop hiding behind campaign calculation and agree to them—more than one, professionally moderated, open to the press, and accessible to every Montgomery County voter.
A debate is not a favor that a dominant-party candidate grants to a challenger. It is not a reward for an opponent who has “earned” the privilege of being heard. It is a basic obligation of anyone seeking public power. The debate stage is where candidates must explain their records, defend their priorities, answer uncomfortable questions, and demonstrate that they can handle disagreement without retreating behind a press release.
A candidate who refuses that test sends a blunt message: My campaign believes the voters’ questions are beneath me.
Montgomery County deserves better. Residents deserve to hear Jawando explain his record on public safety, taxes, school performance, housing affordability, traffic, economic competitiveness, and the county’s mounting demands on working families and businesses. They deserve to hear Esther Wells offer her alternative—and they deserve to compare the candidates without filters, handlers, or carefully scripted campaign videos.
Madison was right: enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. That is why voters must insist on accountability before Election Day—not excuses afterward.
Will Jawando should debate Esther Wells. If he refuses, Montgomery County voters should draw the only responsible conclusion: a candidate unwilling to face basic public scrutiny has not earned their trust—or their vote. The answer on Election Day is to withhold your vote from Will Jawando.
By Authority of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, Brigitta Mullican, Treasurer.