Campaign signs at Watkins Park Drive and Landover Road in Upper Marlboro for four of the many candidates for this spring’s special election for the open Prince George’s County executive seat. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
Less than three months before the special Democratic primary for Prince George’s County executive, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D) has the most money to spend of the five leading candidates, new campaign finance reports show.
Braveboy reported having $530,299 in her campaign account as of Jan. 8. That’s according to the latest finance reports submitted to the Maryland State Board of Elections on Wednesday. Some of the candidates’ reports cover campaign fundraising and spending in the previous year, while others cover more discrete periods within 2024 and the first week of 2025.
The candidates still have weeks to raise money before the March 4 Democratic primary, which will almost certainly produce the winner of the June 3 general election in heavily Democratic Prince George’s County to replace former County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D), who resigned in December after being elected to the U.S. Senate. So the current state of the money chase may not ultimately determine who has the most to spend — and campaign cash, of course, isn’t automatically indicative of who is going to win.
But in a primary that’s more like a sprint than a marathon, campaign funds can help boost a candidate’s name recognition — especially at a time when mail-in ballots are already being sent to voters and early voting is set to begin on Feb. 26.
Following Braveboy in cash on hand as of Jan. 8: County Council President Jolene Ivey (D), County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins (D), former County Executive Rushern Baker III (D) and state Sen. Alonzo T. Washington (D).
In all, Braveboy reported raising $409,026 between Jan. 11, 2024, and Jan. 8 of this year, and spending $146,709 during that period. Since being elected state’s attorney in 2018, Braveboy, a former state lawmaker who lost a bid for state attorney general in 2014, has been raising money regularly and aggressively.
“The recent financial report demonstrates the overwhelming grassroots support driving my campaign and demonstrating that this campaign is truly powered by the people of Prince George’s County,” Braveboy said this week.
Ivey’s bottom line was boosted by a $250,000 loan she gave her campaign on Jan. 6, two days before the campaign finance reporting deadline closed. Although she was elected to a council district seat in 2018 and reelected in 2022, she has been campaigning steadily since last summer, first for a council at-large seat that she won in November, now for the executive’s job. She had $429,921 in the bank as of Jan. 8.
Hawkins, according to the campaign reports, amped up his fundraising in the closing weeks of 2024. He reported raising $333,905 between Nov. 8 and Jan. 8, finishing the reporting period with $328,353 on hand.
Baker is seeking a return to county government after being termed out of office in 2018 and losing two bids for governor. He reported raising $120,487 since announcing his candidacy for his old job in December, and had $107,528 in the bank on Jan. 8.
Like Braveboy, Baker also hailed “the grassroots support driving our campaign’s momentum,” and added, “Our economic vision is resonating with voters, and it’s inspiring to see so many people rally behind our mission.”
Baker has been on the countywide Democratic ballot, as a candidate for county executive, in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, and was a candidate for governor in 2018 and 2022 (though he withdrew from the 2022 gubernatorial race weeks before the Democratic primary).
Washington, a late surprise entry into the county executive race, had $78,693 in his campaign account as of Jan. 8, after raising $51,288 in the previous year. Washington was appointed to his Senate seat in 2023 after spending 11 years in the House.
Other counties
Whomever is elected to replace Alsobrooks as Prince George’s executive in June will have to turn around and run for a full four-year term in 2026, if they want to continue serving. Additionally, four of the state’s “Big Eight” jurisdictions are slated to have open-seat races for county executive next year. Baltimore City is the only “Big Eight” jurisdiction whose election cycle coincides with the presidential election cycle.
In some counties, the battle lines for 2026 have already been drawn, while in others the races for county executive have not quite jelled yet. What follows is a look at the fundraising performance of several potential contenders for executive in the “Big Eight” jurisdictions with 2026 elections on tap.
Anne Arundel County
With County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) facing term limits, County Councilmember Allison Pickard (D) and top Pittman aide James Kitchin (D) have so far jumped into the race to replace him. Councilmember Pete Smith (D) is also contemplating the race, while on the Republican side, former Councilmember Jessica Haire, the GOP nominee against Pittman in 2022, could also get in.
Kitchin plans to participate in the county’s new public financing system for candidates and has yet to begin raising money. Pickard raised $103,750 in the past year and had $139,918 on hand on Jan. 8. Smith raised $131,528 over the past year and banked $192,284.
Haire reported raising $16,300 from Jan. 11, 2024, to Jan. 8, 2025, but $12,000 of that came from a loan from her husband, former state GOP Chair Dirk Haire. The campaign reported spending $16,323 over the past year — almost all of it to the Tarrance Group, a national GOP polling firm.
Haire’s campaign committee had just $629 on hand as of Jan. 8 and was carrying $544,363 in debt, dating back to 2021.
Baltimore County
The county has a new county executive, Kathy Klausmeier (D), who was just appointed to the position on an interim basis, but she has vowed not to seek a full term in 2026. Right now, three Democratic county council members are seen as likely to run next year: Julian Jones, Izzy Patoka and Patrick Young.
Patoka and Jones have been preparing for a countywide run for several years, and their campaign treasuries reflect that. Patoka reported $1,287,500 in his war chest on Jan. 8 after raising $326,410 in the previous year.
Jones had $1,019,414 on hand as of Jan. 8 after raising $235,138 in the previous year. He was carrying debt of $29,556.
Young’s war chest was more modest, with $227,699 after he raised $120,011 since last January. His campaign reported carrying $17,000 in debt.
Frederick County
County Executive Jessica Fitzwater (D) is expected to seek a second term, and she must be considered the favorite at this stage, though she has not been raising money aggressively since winning her first term in 2022. She had $89,469 in the bank as of Jan. 8.
It isn’t clear yet who is going to run on the Republican side. One possibility, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R), did not raise any money in 2024 but had $40,538 in his campaign account on Jan. 8. House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick) reported $103,022 on hand earlier this month after raising $61,940 over the past year.
Fitzwater’s 2022 opponent, former state Sen. Michael Hough (R), has had no financial activity since that campaign and has zero in his campaign account. Another possible GOP contender, County Councilmember Steve McKay, has no campaign committee open.
Harford County
County Executive Robert Cassilly (R) is a strong favorite to win a second term in 2026. He had $274,559 in the bank on Jan. 8 but only raised $22,250 in the past year.
Howard County
The race to replace term-limited County Executive Calvin Ball (D) is going to be wide open on the Democratic side, and it isn’t even clear yet who is going to get in the race, though Del. Jessica Feldmark (D) seems like the likeliest contender.
As of Jan. 8, she had $271,896 in the bank after raising $168,590 since January 2024.
Other potential contenders are House Ways and Means Committee Chair Vanessa Atterbeary (D), state Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D), state Sen. Clarence K. Lam (D), Del. Courtney Watson (D) and County Councilmembers Opel Jones (D), Deb Jung (D) and Liz Walsh (D).
Atterbeary, who is considered more likely to remain in the House than run in 2026, had $190,497 in her campaign account after raising $123,025 in the past year. Her committee was carrying $30,132 in debts.
More legislative seats to fill, more money raised, more excitement over the budget, more notes
Hester, who represents one of the few purple districts left in the state Senate, has always needed to raise a healthy amount of campaign cash to run a competitive reelection race. She pulled in $174,927 over the past year and had $290,293 in the bank on Jan. 8.
Lam spent a significant amount of time in 2024 raising money for a congressional bid in the 3rd District (he finished third in a crowded primary), so didn’t pull in as much for his state campaign committee as he might normally. He reported $123,637 on hand on Jan. 8 after raising $33,911 for the state fund.
Watson, who was the Democratic nominee for county executive in 2014, is seen as more likely to stay in Annapolis than run for executive. She raised $35,545 last year and banked $89,511.
The council members, for a variety of reasons, have raised a lot less money over the past year. Jones collected $9,536 and had $28,897 in the bank.
Walsh participated in the county’s public financing system for her 2022 election and would be expected to do so again if she runs for executive in 2026. As a result, she has not raised money over the past two years and had $432 in her campaign account. Jung has no campaign committee open and also would be expected to seek public financing if she runs for executive.
Montgomery County
When Montgomery County voters in November decided to limit their executives to two terms, it meant County Executive Marc Elrich (D) would be out of a job in 2026.
The three likeliest candidates to run to succeed him are thought to be Councilmembers Andrew Friedson (D), Evan Glass (D) and William Jawando (D).
Friedson has far and away been the most aggressive fundraiser, and his war chest now tops $1 million. He raised $293,193 over the past year and reported $1,053,044 on hand as of Jan. 8.
Glass has participated in the county’s public financing system, as Elrich did, so did not raise any money in 2023 or 2024. He had $1,161 on hand as of Jan. 8.
Jawando ran an aborted campaign for U.S. Senate in 2023 and also created a federal political action committee in the past year, so he put no effort into his state campaign account. He had just $5.93 on hand earlier this month.
Some of Elrich’s allies are wondering if the county’s chief administrative officer, Richard Madaleno, would run for executive in 2026. Madaleno, a former state senator who ran for governor in 2018, still has a campaign account open with $43,468 in it, but he hasn’t raised money for years and gave away $12,000 in 2024 to the county and state Democratic parties.
There has been some speculation that two other council members might be eyeing a run for executive: Gabriel Albornoz (D) and Kate Stewart (D). Albornoz has no campaign committee open and Stewart participated in the public financing system in 2022 and has raised no money since then. She had $2,697 in the bank as of Jan. 8.