Wes Moore Wins Second Term, Will Jawando Elected Montgomery County Executive

Maryland Democrats Secure Sweeping Wins as Wes Moore Earns Second Term and Will Jawando Takes Montgomery County

Maryland voters gave Democrats a clear victory Tuesday, reelecting Governor Wes Moore to a second term and electing Councilmember Will Jawando as Montgomery County’s next executive. The results showed the party’s strong control over the state’s political power, according to WJLA. The victories came as Moore defeated Republican challenger Dan Cox statewide, while Jawando captured nearly 79% of the vote in the state’s most populous county to succeed term-limited Executive Marc Elrich.

The results mark a continuation of Democratic control in Annapolis and Rockville, but they also set up a new chapter of governance fraught with fiscal and infrastructural challenges. Moore, the state’s first Black governor since his 2022 election, will now have four more years to tackle an economy still recovering from federal workforce cuts and the ongoing reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024 after a cargo ship struck its supports. Jawando, meanwhile, inherits a county budget under pressure and a housing crisis that has defined local politics for years.

Will Jawando reflects on health scare as he casts his vote on Election Day

Moore Reclaims Montgomery Lead

ABC News projected Moore as the winner Tuesday night, and unofficial returns from the Maryland State Board of Elections showed the Moore-Miller ticket drawing 247,138 votes in Montgomery County alone against 53,624 for Cox and his running mate Rob Crup, according to mymcmedia.org. Statewide, the rematch echoed the 2022 contest, with Moore again prevailing over Cox.

In his victory address, Moore framed the win as a validation of his “leave no one behind” governing philosophy, citing historic drops in violent crime and the creation of 64,000 new businesses over his first term, mymcmedia.org reported. Yet the governor faces immediate headwinds: Maryland’s economy has been battered by federal layoffs—Moore referenced more than 31,000 neighbors fired under the Trump-Vance administration—and the state must fund the multi-billion-dollar rebuild of the Key Bridge while managing tight government spending.

Wes Moore wins second term as Maryland's governor | Full Speech

Moore’s national profile continues to rise, but Tuesday’s result keeps him anchored in Annapolis for another four-year cycle, tasked with turning campaign promises about affordability and energy costs into legislative reality.

Jawando’s Landslide in Montgomery County

Will Jawando, a Democrat who has served on the Montgomery County Council since 2018, crushed Republican Esther Wells by a margin of 143,731 votes, taking 195,872 ballots (78.66%) to Wells’ 52,141 (20.94%), according to unofficial results tracked by moderatelymoco.com. With fewer than 38,534 mail-in ballots left to count as of November 2—well below Jawando’s lead—the race was effectively decided before all precincts reported.

Gov wes moore on election day nov — Photo: mymcmedia.org

Jawando will become the county’s chief executive after voters approved Question A in 2024, which cut the executive’s term limit from three consecutive terms to two, barring Marc Elrich from seeking a third stint. Elrich instead ran for an at-large County Council seat and won, ensuring he remains in county government despite leaving the executive’s office.

“This vote meant more than some of the ones in the past because it wasn’t guaranteed that I was gonna be here. So I’m really thankful for all the prayers and support,” Jawando told 7News on Election Day. “I’m feeling really good. I’m ready to get going for the residents of Montgomery County.”

The new executive campaigned on public education, affordable housing, and economic opportunity for working families—issues that will test his ability to work with the County Council to craft budgets and set property tax rates. His four-year term begins at noon on Monday, December 7, under Section 202 of the county charter.

Big Democratic wins in Maryland: Wes Moore secures second term, Jawando wins

Ballots Still Counting, Challenges Remain

While both races are effectively decided, the Montgomery County Board of Elections has scheduled multiple canvass sessions through November 18 to tally remaining mail-in and provisional ballots, with mail-in ballots postmarked by November 3 accepted until 10 a.m. on November 13. The ballots-left-to-count report shows the county still processing thousands of votes, though not enough to alter the outcome.

For Moore and Jawando, the campaign is over, but the governing begins in earnest. Now that Democrats have won big, they must follow through on their campaign promises to voters—while managing a struggling state economy and a county budget squeezed by high housing and education costs.