Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council after a 2024 referendum blocked him from seeking a third consecutive term as executive.

The at-large seats represent every county resident, including those in Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Elrich, a Democrat, is certified for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. Four at-large seats are up, and voters choose up to four candidates.

He led a 17-candidate Democratic primary field with about 45,124 votes, or 14.6%, according to early tallies reported by FOX 5 DC after the June primary.

Also on the ballot are Democrats Karla Silvestre, Laurie-Anne Sayles and Scott Evan Goldberg, and Republican Sherwin Wells.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Montgomery County Council, At Large
  • Born: Nov. 2, 1949, in Washington, D.C.
  • Education: Bachelor of arts in history, University of Maryland; master of arts in teaching, Johns Hopkins University. Attended Montgomery County public schools, including Einstein High School in Kensington.

Elrich announced his council candidacy on Nov. 18, 2024, according to Montgomery County government records.

Experience and public service

Elrich has held elected office in Montgomery County for decades. He served on the Takoma Park City Council from 1987 to 2006, according to BallotReady profile data. He then won an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council and served from 2006 to 2018.

He won the county executive seat in 2018. He still holds that office.

Before entering politics, Elrich taught at Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park from 1990 to 2006, according to Maryland State Archives records.

Elrich said on his campaign website that he began community and tenant organizing in Montgomery County around 1980 and was active in resident efforts for land-use policies.

Endorsements

The following endorsements were claimed by the endorsing organizations, according to BallotReady profile data:

  • Progressive Neighbors
  • Progressive Maryland
  • Maryland State Education Association
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland, also known as AFSCME
  • Our Revolution Maryland

This profile was built from publicly available records, BallotReady election data and the candidate's campaign website. The Bethesda Beacon did not interview the candidate for this article. No issue-position responses from the candidate were available for this profile.