Bowie City Councilman Michael Estève Wins Mayoral Special Election

Michael Estève, the District 1 representative on the Bowie City Council, won the city's mayoral special election Tuesday with a commanding majority, collecting 3,348 votes, or 50.60 percent of the total cast, to become Bowie's next mayor.

The 36-year-old lifelong Bowie resident dominated a field of eight candidates, several of whom were fellow council members. At-Large Councilmember Wanda J. Rogers finished second with 1,384 votes (20.92 percent), followed by Councilmember Roxy Ndebumadu with 942 votes (14.24 percent) and Rebecca Pearce with 532 votes (8.04 percent). The remaining candidates, Babatunde Alegbeleye, Takisha Brown, Remington Tennessee, and Conrad Nkimbi, split the balance of ballots. Denis Brady, who filed before the March 6 candidacy deadline, withdrew from the race on March 24.

The election filled a vacancy created by a rapid chain of departures at both the city and county level. Former Mayor Timothy J. Adams resigned on February 2, 2026, after being selected to fill the District 4 seat on the Prince George's County Council, itself vacated when Ingrid Watson stepped down to lead the Prince George's Economic Development Corp. Adams was sworn in as District 4 Councilmember the following day, leaving the Mayor Pro Tem to serve as Acting Mayor until Tuesday's results were certified.

Adams had made history in 2019 as the first African American mayor in Bowie's 138-year history. His exit opened a compressed two-month election window, with polls closing at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Estève carries his own place in that history: he became the city's youngest-ever council member when first elected to the District 1 seat in 2015. He has also worked as a loan officer in the Bowie area. His campaign centered on police recruitment, green space preservation, residential speeding enforcement, litter reduction, and navigating difficult budget decisions. His campaign website stated: "Bowie deserves focused, dedicated leadership."

Under the City Charter, Estève will serve out the remainder of Adams' term through 2027.

The office he steps into carries considerable weight. Bowie is the largest municipality in Prince George's County and the fifth most populous city in Maryland, with approximately 58,329 residents per the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1882 and named for Maryland Governor Oden Bowie, the city also ranks as the state's third largest by area.