Montgomery County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Katie Fry Hester is a Maryland state senator serving her first term since 2019, per the campaign site. She spent 20 years in international development, creating public-private strategies for sustainable development and advising companies on stakeholder engagement, per the campaign site. She chairs the Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, IT, and Biotechnology, per the campaign site.

Ben Hightower is a Navy hospital corpsman with 20 years of military service, including six combat deployments, per the campaign site. He also served in a policy role at the Pentagon before retiring and settling in Maryland, per the campaign site.

Zucker is executive vice president and chief strategy officer at a nonprofit supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and previously served as deputy chief of staff to the Maryland Comptroller, per the campaign site. He holds a government degree from Johns Hopkins University and has been recognized multiple times by the Arc of Maryland for legislative leadership, per the campaign site.

Brian Feldman is a Maryland state senator with more than 10 years of public service, per the campaign site. He chairs the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee in the Maryland General Assembly, per the campaign site.

Love earned her law degree from Northwestern University after undergraduate study at Princeton, and worked as a civil rights attorney, including on a mortgage discrimination case alongside a young Barack Obama, per the campaign site. She later served as general counsel and legal director at NARAL Pro-Choice America and as public policy director for the ACLU of Maryland before her appointment to the House of Delegates in 2018 and the Senate in 2024, per the campaign site.

Kagan taught state and local government at Montgomery College and served two terms in the House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003 before becoming founding executive director of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation and later director of community engagement for BBYO, per the campaign site. She holds a political science degree from Vassar College and graduate public policy training from the University of Maryland, and has served in the Senate since 2015, per the campaign site.

Helene Meister, 54, holds a Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law along with multiple advanced degrees in taxation and public finance, and has worked as a tax manager for a technology company and a law clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division, per The Baltimore Banner 2026 Voter Guide, Senate District 17. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Waldstreicher is a native of Silver Spring who served three terms in the House of Delegates before his election to the Senate and now serves as vice chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, per the campaign site.

Ben Kramer has served as a Maryland delegate and senator for District 19 for nearly 16 years as of the campaign site's writing, first arriving in the legislature in 2007, per the campaign site. The campaign site (benkramer.org) is only reachable over http and was rejected as a linked campaign site under the https-only rule; the facts above are drawn from that page's content. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Smith is a Navy Reserve officer and attorney focused on national security and employment discrimination law, per the campaign site. He grew up in Silver Spring, is a first-generation college graduate with degrees from William and Mary and Johns Hopkins University, and previously worked as an AmeriCorps community engagement leader and an ACLU legislative assistant, per the campaign site.

Amar Mukunda, 33, is an Army Reserve combat engineer and the son of immigrants from India and Pakistan; he previously worked as an assistant director at Roca, a violence-intervention organization, per The Baltimore Banner.

Chao Wu is a data scientist and immigrant who served on the Howard County Board of Education from 2018 to 2022, including as board chair, per the campaign site. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland College Park, a master's degree from the National University of Singapore, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, per the campaign site. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 9A in November 2022, per the campaign site.

Ziegler is a small business owner and farmer who co-founded a jewelry design firm and now operates a family farm growing feed grains and rye, per the campaign site. She holds degrees from Oberlin College and Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies and previously worked as a segment producer at CNN, per the campaign site.

Fitzgerald Mofor is the Republican candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 9A on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list. Born in Gaithersburg, Maryland; played linebacker at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a football scholarship and earned All-Conference honors, per candidate campaign site. Earned a Master of Law degree from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, per candidate campaign site. Founded a construction firm, worked in his father's law practice, and served on the Montgomery County Board of Education and as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, per candidate campaign site.

Kaiser is an educator who has represented District 14 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2002 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, per the campaign site. She holds a political science degree from the University of Chicago and two master's degrees from the University of Michigan, and previously worked as an economist at the IRS before teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, per the campaign site.

Bernice Mireku-North is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 14 in Montgomery County, per the campaign site. She has served for four years championing education, affordable housing, and economic opportunity, per the campaign site.

Matt Post is the Democratic candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 14 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list. Labor lawyer and former student member of the Montgomery County school board, running for an open seat left by retiring Del. Pam Queen, per Bethesda Magazine. Resident of Colesville, per Bethesda Magazine.

Foley worked as a journalist and national union president before her election to the House of Delegates representing District 15 in 2022, per the campaign site. She previously chaired the Montgomery County Democrats, per the campaign site.

Fraser-Hidalgo is a former Montgomery County police officer and small-business owner who has represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2013, per the campaign site. Born in Quito, Ecuador, he later worked in web marketing and sales roles before his election and co-founded the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, per the campaign site.

Qi has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019 representing western and upper Montgomery County and chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee, per the campaign site. She is a graduate of Manchester University, per the campaign site.

Korman is an attorney who has represented District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2014 and chairs the Environment and Transportation Committee, per the campaign site. He previously worked for two members of Congress on transportation, healthcare and environmental policy, and earned degrees from the University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Law, per the campaign site.

Wolek is a former federal budget and policy official who has served as delegate for District 16 since April 2023, per the campaign site. She spent more than a decade working at federal agencies including the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Treasury and Commerce departments, and taught at the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business, per the campaign site.

Woorman is a delegate for District 16 who spent eight years working in the Maryland General Assembly before her own election and now serves as Deputy Majority Whip, per the campaign site. She describes herself as an immigrant and advocate whose interest in public service grew from gaps she saw in federal policies affecting immigrant families, per the campaign site.

Ann Guthrie Hingston is the Republican candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 16 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list. Resident of Bethesda, age 80, with 28 years of federal government service, including on President Reagan's White House speechwriting and public liaison staffs, per The Baltimore Banner. Directed a presidential advisory committee on international trade at the U.S. Information Agency and is a board member of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, per The Baltimore Banner. Holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Georgetown University, per The Baltimore Banner.

Palakovich Carr is a biologist who has taught as a substitute science teacher and previously served two terms on the Rockville City Council before her election to the House of Delegates in 2019, per the campaign site.

Spiegel is an attorney focused on small business procurement and civil rights litigation who served 16 years on the Gaithersburg City Council before his election to the House of Delegates, per the campaign site. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee, per the campaign site.

Vogel is a delegate representing District 17, first elected in 2022, who immigrated to the United States from Uruguay at age three and was raised in Rockville, per the campaign site. He serves on the Education Subcommittee and the Ways and Means Committee and says he has not accepted corporate PAC money, per the campaign site.

Kaufman has served District 18 for 16 years, including four years in the House of Delegates after 12 years in party leadership roles, and is a lifelong resident educated through Montgomery County public schools, Montgomery College and the University of Maryland, per the campaign site.

Shetty is an attorney and healthcare policy advocate who has represented District 18 since 2018 and chairs the House Democratic Caucus, per the campaign site. She previously served as legislative director for a member of Congress and as senior director of federal legislative affairs for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, per the campaign site.

Solomon is a former public school teacher who has represented District 18 in the Maryland House of Delegates for two terms and chairs the Personnel Subcommittee, per the campaign site. He previously served as a policy advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Casey and worked at the children's advocacy organization First Focus, per the campaign site.

Crutchfield is an employment law practitioner and trained mediator who has represented District 19 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2018 and chairs the Corrections Subcommittee, per the campaign site. She previously worked as an Assistant State's Attorney for Montgomery County and holds a law degree from Boston College Law School, per the campaign site.

Christa Tichy is the Democratic candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 19 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list. Master electrician and member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, from Aspen Hill, per The Baltimore Banner. Graduate of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers apprenticeship program, with an associate degree in construction management from Montgomery College and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Maryland, per Bethesda Magazine. Small business owner, licensed contractor and former Montgomery County high school teacher who directed the first Electrical Career Readiness Program, per Bethesda Magazine.

Charkoudian is executive director of Community Mediation Maryland and has represented District 20 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2018, serving as Vice Chair of the Economic Matters Committee, per the campaign site. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University and has led community food-access organizations in Takoma Park, per the campaign site.

Moon is a policy attorney and advocacy consultant for progressive organizations who serves as Majority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 20, per the campaign site. He previously taught political science at UMBC, directed the Democracy Summer PAC, and served as chief operating officer of the electoral-reform group FairVote, per the campaign site.

Wilkins is director of state and local government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and has represented District 20 since being appointed in 2017, per the campaign site. She holds a sociology degree from the University of Delaware and a public administration master's degree from American University, per the campaign site.

Gabriel Acevero is the Democratic candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list. Gabriel Acevero is a sitting member for the district, per the General Assembly's roster. No campaign website was listed on the State Board of Elections' candidate filing as of September 8, 2026.

Lopez is an assistant professor at George Washington University who previously worked as a journalist and communications director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, per the campaign site. She holds degrees from UC San Diego and George Washington University, per the campaign site.

Wims is a delegate representing District 39 who previously directed the Upcounty Regional Services Center for Montgomery County government and held federal roles at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration, per the campaign site. He founded the Victims' Rights Foundation in 1996 and was the first male Head Start teacher in Montgomery County, per the campaign site.