The vanguard of local political intelligentsia, the Banner Montgomery’s own ace government reporter, Ginny Bixby, has announced her definitive county government predictions for Tuesday’s Democratic primary election. To avoid conflict with The Banner's nonprofit status, they are presented below in this publication without compensation.

2026 Democratic Primary Predictions
for Montgomery County Government
By Ginny Bixby

County Executive

Many say this is the toughest race to call, but I disagree. It all comes down to math. In the most recent poll, Andrew Friedson was at 25%, Will Jawando at 19%, Evan Glass at 18%, and Peter James at 1%. That means Mithun Banerjee has rocketed into a commanding 37% lead. To my personal opinion, he can't lose.

County Council At-Large

In a crowded race including 18 candidates, incumbency matters most. Charlotte Crutchfield, Lorig Charkoudian, and Greg Wims will win handily. After that it's a toss-up between Sunil Dasgupta, Christa Tichy, and Robert Wu. Of the three, Tichy has the most name recognition and establishment connections. My odds are on her.

Montgomery County Council District 1

Incumbent Sullivan Reardon is running uncontested.

Montgomery County Council District 2

When I last checked, Marilyn Balcombe had spent more than $1.8 million in her bid to defeat incumbent David Trone. With Trone relying on name recognition alone, get ready for a major upset. Balcombe in a squeaker.

Montgomery County Council District 3

This one won't be nearly as close as people thought a few months ago. Ashton is an extremely popular Rockville mayor and gained the support of the Gaithersburg establishment when she acquiesced on Wootton, which says a lot about what they must think of their colleague Ivanka Shaw. Monique Ashton by a comfortable margin.

Montgomery County Council District 4

Paula Birkenstock is running uncontested.

Montgomery County Council District 5

Josie Caballero is running uncontested.

Montgomery County Council District 6

Natali Fani-González threw her political aspirations away along with basic common sense when she invited Glenn Fellman to her press conferences. Sonia Garcia by a landslide.

Montgomery County Council District 7

While Dawn Luedtke and Sharif Hidayat spend wildly on reciprocal attack ads, Harold Maldonado has earned respect through his judicious use of social media, measured tone, and civility. Voters are sick of the rhetoric. Maldonado advances to November where he faces a tough challenge from Republican Tiffany Kelly.

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