Sarah Wolek, a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates, is running for re-election to her District 16 seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

The House of Delegates, the lower chamber of the Maryland General Assembly, has three District 16 seats on the ballot. Voters may choose up to three candidates. Wolek is one of three Democrats certified for the ballot, alongside Marc Korman and Teresa Saavedra Woorman. Republican Ann Guthrie Hingston and Working Class Party candidate Bob White are also running.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: Nov. 6, 1979, in New York, New York
  • High school: Thomas S. Wootten High School, Rockville
  • Education: Bachelor of science in decision information sciences and bachelor of arts in economics, University of Maryland, College Park (2001); master of business administration, Columbia Business School, Columbia University (2004); master of arts in public policy, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
  • Current employment: Senior faculty specialist, Department of Management and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park (2017 to present), according to the Maryland Manual Online

Experience and public service

Wolek has served in the House of Delegates since 2023, according to BallotReady profile data. She sits on the Appropriations Committee, where she serves on the oversight committee on pensions and as vice chair of the education and economic development subcommittee, a role she took on in 2026, according to the Maryland Manual Online.

She also serves as parliamentarian of the Maryland Legislative Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Caucus and as secretary of Women Legislators of Maryland.

Before her election, Wolek held several federal government positions. She worked as chief of staff for fair housing and equal opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2015 to 2018, according to BallotReady profile data. She served as a senior policy adviser on small business at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2014 to 2015 and as a negotiator and adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations from 2013 to 2014.

Earlier in her career, Wolek worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Federal Financial Management at the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2011 to 2012. She also served as a program examiner and policy analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2007 to 2009 and as an economist in the regional division of the Bureau of Economic Analysis from 2006 to 2007.

Locally, Wolek has served on the boards of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the Bethesda Art and Entertainment District and Bethesda Green. She was a member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee in 2018 and 2022.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Wolek, according to BallotReady profile data, which credits the endorsements to the endorsers:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO
  • AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland)
  • Maryland State Education Association
  • Reproductive Justice Maryland

The Bethesda Beacon sent Wolek a candidate questionnaire. This profile will be updated if a response is received. Candidate information is drawn from the Maryland Manual Online and BallotReady.