Tom Hucker withdraws from Montgomery County Executive race to run for County Council At-Large

The Montgomery County Executive race saw a dramatic turn of events as the candidate filing deadline passed Friday night. According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, County Councilmember Tom Hucker (D - District 5) has withdrawn from the County Executive race, and has filed to run for County Council At-Large instead. Hucker was eligible to run for one more term in District 5, under the County term limits law.

Hucker's exit probably benefits incumbent executive Marc Elrich the most, as Hucker was - in relative terms - the closest aligned with Elrich on a Council that has an often-contentious relationship with the executive office. County Councilmember Hans Riemer may get a boost as well, from progressives who oppose Elrich and wanted someone new. Hucker's entry into the executive race never made much sense anyway, as he had a safe seat for one more term, and Elrich and Riemer were already blocking both of his ideological lanes in the Democratic primary.

Photo via Montgomery County Council