By Adam Pagnucco.
Council Member Will Jawando, who is running for county executive, now claims that he has enough contributions from in-county residents to qualify for public matching funds in the county’s public financing program.
The county’s public financing program is complicated, but here is an important bottom line: to get serious money through public matching funds, candidates must meet minimum thresholds in the number of contributions from in-county residents and the combined total of their contributions. For county executive candidates, those thresholds are 500 contributions from in-county residents totaling a combined amount of at least $40,000. I explained this system in more detail in a prior post.
Jawando also claims that he had “the fastest-ever qualification for public financing in a Montgomery County Executive race, breaking the previous record of 60 days.” That’s a testable hypothesis and I’ll look at that when I compare his report to that of rival Evan Glass, who also claimed to qualify in record time.
That will be a fun post for sure, but here is the bottom line: the executive race features three strong candidates in Jawando, Glass and Council Member Andrew Friedson. Friedson, who is using traditional financing, will have the most money of the three but all of them will have enough funding to run serious campaigns. Outside groups will spend on this race too. It’s going to be a great election to follow.
Jawando’s press release is reprinted below.
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For Immediate Release
July 2, 2025
“Will Jawando for Montgomery County Executive” Meets Threshold to Qualify for Public Financing
Just 42 days after launching a dynamic, people-powered campaign for Montgomery County Executive, Will Jawando announced that his campaign has surpassed the threshold required to qualify for the county’s public financing program. This marks the fastest-ever qualification for public financing in a Montgomery County Executive race, breaking the previous record of 60 days.
Since kicking off his campaign on May 21st in front of more than 350 energized supporters in Silver Spring, Team Jawando have exceeded the requirements of raising $40,000 from 500 individual Montgomery County residents. Contributions have come from every corner of the county, from Bethesda to Briggs Chaney and Damascus to Darnestown, highlighting the enthusiasm and broad-based support for Jawando’s vision.
“From day one, this campaign has been about the people of our great county, putting their needs first, not special interests,” said Will Jawando. “Reaching this milestone so rapidly demonstrates that Montgomery County residents are eager for decisive, empathetic and authentic leadership that prioritizes their needs.”
Jawando’s campaign has received early endorsements from prominent local leaders, including incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy, At-Large Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, and District 5 Councilmember Kristin Mink.
“Our county is facing challenging times—our schools, families, and immigrant communities are under attack, costs are rising, resources shrinking, and the stakes for working families have never been higher,” said Jawando. “But I firmly believe Montgomery County can continue to be a beacon of hope and unity. We must continue to stand up for our residents, fully fund our schools, make housing more affordable, grow our economy and defend our community’s core values.”
An innovative policymaker known for addressing real challenges head-on, Jawando has earned a reputation for bold leadership and practical solutions that directly benefit Montgomery County residents. Born and raised in Montgomery County, Jawando is a civil rights attorney who previously served in President Obama’s White House. He is the first Nigerian-American elected to Montgomery County Council, where he serves as Vice President, chairs the Education and Culture Committee and serves on the Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee and Audit Committee.
Contact:
Jovy Lopez
Jovy@WillJawando.com