Maryland State Del. Jessica Feldmark is launching a campaign for Howard County executive, making her the second Democrat to emerge for the 2026 county executive race.
Feldmark’s run for Calvin Ball’s seat comes more than a year ahead of the primary election on June 23, 2026. Councilwoman Deb Jung, also a Democrat, launched her campaign for county executive in late April.
Ball is term-limited and cannot serve more than two consecutive four-year terms after voters tapped him to lead the county in 2018 and again in 2022.
During those election cycles, Feldmark also won two terms in the Maryland General Assembly. Records show the lawmaker has a campaign committee registered in her name, but has not yet filed her candidacy for county executive with the state.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
For Feldmark, winning the county race next year would mean transitioning back to the executive branch where she worked for more than a decade as chief of staff to former Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and later as county council administrator.
“We can’t take for granted that Howard County is a great place to live,” Feldmark said of her motivations to run. “With all of the chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington, I think it’s a particularly critical time and we need a county executive who you know will have the courage to stand up for our neighbors and stand up for our shared values.”
Although Howard is one of Maryland’s most affluent jurisdictions, it’s feeling the pressure from some of Republican President Donald Trump’s policies and initiatives.
ICE’s Baltimore field office recently slammed Howard’s detention center for not honoring its request to hold a Honduran national convicted of rape past his release date. Federal immigration authorities have requested meetings with some of Howard’s current elected leaders.
Howard is also home to thousands of federal workers, many of whom have been impacted by the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government. After years of stable employment, some residents have found themselves looking for work in a saturated job market.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Feldmark said she has experience looking out for Marylanders caught in the wake of federal turmoil. The Columbia resident first took office in early 2019 in the midst of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Some essential federal employees were forced to work for weeks without pay.
Feldmark introduced a bill that established a state loan program that mirrored unemployment insurance for workers affected by the shutdown, she said. Lawmakers earlier this year expanded allowable uses of the fund to include federal job loss.
“Responding to what the Trump administration is doing and how that’s impacting our residents is something that I’ve been focused on,” Feldmark said.
Other top priorities for Feldmark include education, economic development, public safety, health care access and the environment.
Public education in particular doubles as an economic driver, drawing people and businesses to invest in Howard County, Feldmark said.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
“Our schools in Howard County have been seen as the gold standard, and I think a lot of folks are feeling like we’re at risk of losing that,” she said.
Howard’s school board voted last week to cut $11.3 million in costs and eliminated 127 positions to balance the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The system initially asked the county for $107.3 million above what the jurisdiction is legally required to contribute in the coming year.
Ball called the request unattainable, citing significant federal and state cuts, but later recommended a one-time transfer of $14.5 million. The County Council voted to provide $816 million to the school system, which is $53.8 million above what it is legally required to give.
“We need to be investing in our schools,” Feldmark said.
Feldmark cited the school system’s financial woes as one of the reasons she’s not planning to use Howard’s Citizens’ Election Fund, which encourages candidates to rely on small, private donations.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
“Given that the Board of Education is prepared to eliminate positions, I don’t expect the taxpayers to pay for my campaign to the tune of what is roughly nine new teachers,” she said.
Candidates who use the fund see their donations matched with county dollars but are barred from accepting money from political action committees, corporations, businesses, labor organizations or political parties.
Feldmark said funds like the one in Howard exist to remove barriers for people who wish to run for office but struggle to come up with the means. As someone who already has a public platform, she doesn’t feel she fits that description.
The deadline for Howard County executive candidates to file for the election is 9 p.m. Feb. 24, 2026.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.