Multiple candidates eyeing multimillion-dollar race for Baltimore County executive
BALTIMORE — The 2026 campaign for Baltimore County executive is shaping up to be a multimillion-dollar race.
Recent campaign finance disclosures show county councilmembers Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones, both Democrats, with account balances of $1.3 million and $1 million, respectively. Both have suggested they may launch campaigns soon. The 2026 election will also be the first to feature public financing in Baltimore County. Candidates can't officially file their campaign until the end of this month.
State Sen. Charles Sydnor, a Baltimore County Democrat, also is considering a campaign, his office said Monday. His most recent disclosure shows a balance of $110,000. Nick Stewart, co-founder of the advocacy group We The People, said he's 'having conversations' about jumping in the race as a Democrat.
Councilmember Pat Young, also a Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment. His most recent disclosure shows a balance of $228,000.
A candidate can receive maximum public contributions of $750,000 for the primary and $750,000 for general elections. A candidate who opts for public contributions also can expend a limited amount of money from their citizen-funded campaign accounts — no more than $1.4 million for a primary and $1.4 million for a general election.
Patoka hasn't announced his campaign yet but noted he has 'a significant amount of donors, which really encourages me to go forward on this process of determining my political future in a county executive run … Right now, all the mechanisms are in place for a run, and we'll likely hear something soon about that.'
Jones said he's 'seriously looking at' running for the seat and plans to make an announcement 'sometime later this year if it's the direction we take, of course.'
'I'm honored that so many people in Baltimore County support the work I've been doing,' Jones said.
Stewart suggested that public financing in Baltimore County is not 'all that viable' given the level of funding available.
Though public financing can help provide campaign opportunities for more candidates, 'it's not really an even playing field,' given that some candidates can raise much more money on their own, said Roger Hartley, dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. But public funding still 'helps a candidate get out there and get in the game,' he said.
Public financing isn't open to just anyone. To qualify for matching funds, a candidate must receive at least 550 contributions and $50,000 in qualifying contributions.
'That means that they really have to show some viability,' Hartley said.
The disclosures come shortly after the council selected former State Sen. Kathy Klausmeier as county executive. She's filling the vacancy left by Johnny Olszewski, who recently was sworn into Congress. The council requested that all applicants for the position commit not to run in 2026.
'The Baltimore County executive — and county executives in the state of Maryland, period — are very powerful positions,' Hartley said, both because of the powers of the office itself, and because the position can 'skyrocket a person into a higher-level office.'
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