Three Democrats enter Prince George’s County District 1 race, prompting contested primary

Three Democratic candidates entered the race for the open Prince George’s County Council District 1 seat on March 2, creating the first contested primary in the northern-county district ahead of the June 23, 2026 primary; the seat is being vacated due to term limits for a four-term incumbent. The development enlarges a field that already includes multiple declared Democrats and Republicans competing for the two-year remainder of the seat.

The District 1 Democratic field now totals seven candidates when combining recent filings with previously named entrants: Marcellus Crews, Ron Hunt, Albert Slocum and Tonya Sweat are among the Democrats already identified, while the three recent entrants were reported by number only and not named in available reporting. The Republican slate in District 1 includes George E. McDermott, Jesse Peed and Jonathan White, who have all sought public office before.

Voters should note the county election calendar tied to these contests: the District 1 primary is set for June 23, 2026. The county Board of Elections has scheduled early voting for the special primary from Feb. 26 to March 3, with polls open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday; early voting for the special general is set for May 28 to June 2 with the same poll hours. The winners of the county executive and County Council seats will complete the remaining two years left on those terms.

The contested District 1 race is part of broader special-election activity after a countywide leadership change. Angela Alsobrooks resigned Dec. 2 to prepare to be sworn in to the U.S. Senate on Jan. 3 after winning the November election, and the county’s chief administrative officer, Tara H. Jackson, is serving as acting county executive and, as reported, "has said she doesn’t plan to seek the position permanently." The vacancy at county executive has compressed timelines across Council contests.

A separate but related contest will fill the County Council District 5 seat, which represents Cheverly, Fairmount Heights and Glenarden. Seven people will seek that seat after Ivey vacated it to run for one of the two at-large seats on council, which she won after prevailing in an August primary and a special general election to fill the seat vacated by Mel Franklin, who "was sentenced Nov. 13 to a year in jail for theft of campaign funds." District 5 candidates registered as Democrats include Shayla Adams-Stafford; longtime educator and activist Theresa Mitchell Dudley; Kendal Gray; Ryan Middleton; Kayce Munyeneh; and Christopher Wade. The sole Republican in that special election is Fred Price Jr., of Cheverly, a Marine Corps veteran. Observers note that Price is likely to secure the Republican nomination, but that the general-election math is difficult for Republicans in Prince George’s County given the large Democratic voter registration advantage.

Reporting to date leaves two immediate gaps: the names of the three recently entered Democratic candidates in District 1 were reported only as a count, and the four-term incumbent who is term-limited was not identified in the available material. Those details, along with candidate statements, prior office histories for the Republican contenders and finalized filing papers, remain necessary to map the full contest that will determine who represents northern Prince George’s County for the remainder of the current two-year term.