Maryland’s 8th Congressional District
Montgomery County | June 23, 2026 Primary
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About This Race
Maryland’s 8th Congressional District covers the inner suburbs of Washington, D.C. in Montgomery County — Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, and surrounding communities. It is among the most politically engaged and financially affluent districts in the country, and one of the most reliably Democratic, carrying a Cook Partisan Voter Index of D+30.
Incumbent Jamie Raskin has held the seat since 2017 and won reelection in 2024 with 76.8 percent of the vote. His cash-on-hand advantage — nearly $7 million — dwarfs every opponent in the field. The primary on June 23, 2026, features three Democratic challengers and four Republican contenders vying for their party’s nominations.
This guide profiles every candidate, organized by primary. All candidate descriptions are based on publicly available filings, campaign websites, and media coverage.
Campaign Finance Snapshot
As of the most recent FEC reporting period (March 31, 2026):
| Candidate | Party | Total Raised | Spent | Cash On Hand |
| Jamie Raskin (Incumbent) | D | $5,733,006 | $3,751,286 | $6,946,922 |
| Cheryl Riley | R | $13,565 | $9,487 | $4,667 |
| Stephen Alan Leon | D | $2,599 | $2,381 | $1,718 |
| Anita Mpambara Cox | R | No filings | — | — |
| J.D. Kumar | D | No filings | — | — |
| Boris Velasquez | D | No filings | — | — |
| Donald Lech | R | No filings | — | — |
| Michael Yadeta | R | No filings | — | — |
SOURCE: Federal Election Commission filings, elections-2026-05-14 data.
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Registered Democrats only may vote in the Democratic primary on June 23, 2026.
Jamie Raskin — Incumbent
Party: Democratic
Residence: Takoma Park, MD
Website: jamieraskin.com
Cash on Hand: $6,946,922 (as of 3/31/2026)
Background
Raskin was born in Washington, D.C., and earned both his undergraduate degree and law degree from Harvard University. Before Congress, he served as a Maryland state senator representing Montgomery County and taught constitutional law at American University. He was first elected to Congress in 2016, succeeding Chris Van Hollen, and has been reelected without significant primary opposition since. He gained national prominence serving as lead impeachment manager during the second Senate trial of President Trump in 2021.
Record and Issues
Raskin sits on the House Judiciary Committee and has been a prolific legislative sponsor. His priorities have centered on constitutional accountability, voting rights, campaign finance reform, and climate policy. He has positioned himself as a leading voice of Democratic opposition to the current administration and has been endorsed by Governor Wes Moore ahead of the 2026 primary.
The Case Against
Raskin’s May 14, 2026, exchange — publicly questioning why ICE could not simply pick up criminal illegal immigrants from jail before release — underscores a recurring disconnect from operational realities his own party’s elected officials have created. Democratic-controlled jurisdictions across the country, including his own state of Maryland, have structured policies that actively prevent exactly the cooperation he appeared surprised did not exist. Whether voters in a D+30 district factor that into their primary calculus is the open question. His financial dominance of the field makes a successful primary challenge a steep uphill climb regardless of issue contrast.
J.D. Kumar — Challenger
Party: Democratic
Residence: Chevy Chase, MD
Website: votejdk.com
Campaign Finance: No FEC filings as of March 31, 2026
Background
Kumar is a finance and international business development executive with a degree in International Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland (1993), along with a second degree in Spanish Languages and Literature from UMD. He has pursued graduate studies in infrastructure risk management at the London School of Economics and is fluent in Spanish. He describes growing up in a single-parent household with a father who served in the military and suffered from PTSD — an experience he credits for developing early work ethic and discipline. After college, he became one of the earliest American employees at what grew into a multi-billion-dollar global telecommunications company.
Platform
Kumar’s central campaign pledge is delivering $250 billion in investment and economic activity to MD-8 over five years — approximately $50 billion per year. He frames his platform around democratic values, constitutional protections, human rights, and opposition to what he characterizes as authoritarian tendencies in current federal governance. His website emphasizes community investment, multilingual outreach, and applying private-sector economic experience to public service.
Why Consider Kumar
Kumar presents himself as the rare Democratic challenger who arrives with genuine private-sector credentials and cross-cultural fluency — a meaningful contrast to Raskin’s career in academia and legislative office. His economic development frame gives Democratic voters something concrete to evaluate beyond standard ideological positioning. Whether his $250 billion investment pledge has a credible legislative pathway is a fair question, but the aspiration speaks to constituent needs in a district that, despite its affluence, has residents who have felt Congress deliver process and symbolism more than tangible local investment. His absence of FEC filings signals a grassroots-level campaign; voters seeking a challenger with institutional backing will not find it here.
Stephen Alan Leon — Challenger
Party: Democratic
Residence: Rock Hall, MD (listed; Veirs Mill Rd address on file)
Committee: Leon for Congress MD-08
Cash on Hand: $1,718 (as of 12/31/2025)
Background
Leon is described in public filings as an attorney and inventor. He filed for the Democratic primary with the committee Leon for Congress MD-08. His FEC filings reflect minimal fundraising activity — $2,599 raised with $1,718 remaining as of his last reporting period in December 2025, suggesting a self-funded or symbolically resourced campaign.
Platform
Leon’s specific platform details are limited in publicly available sources. His candidacy appears to represent a protest or issue-driven entry into the primary rather than a well-funded competitive challenge to the incumbent.
Why Consider Leon
Leon’s campaign resources are not competitive, and his public profile is thin. That said, Democratic primaries have occasionally served as forums for issue-driven candidacies that force incumbents to address topics they would prefer to avoid. Without a clearer policy platform on the record, it is difficult to identify a substantive case for his candidacy over Raskin’s beyond generalized incumbent dissatisfaction.
Boris Kabel Velasquez — Challenger
Party: Democratic
Residence: Rock Hall, MD (2001 Veirs Mill Rd address on file)
Website: borisvelasquez.com
Campaign Finance: No FEC filings as of March 31, 2026
Background
Velasquez filed for the MD-8 Democratic primary in late February 2026. He has a presence on Bluesky (@boris-velasquez.bsky.social), but limited public biographical information is available through standard candidate databases. He did not complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey.
Platform
Velasquez’s campaign website (borisvelasquez.com) was active at filing but has not publicized a detailed policy platform through major voter education sources. Without fundraising activity or public issue statements on record, his policy priorities are difficult to characterize with specificity.
Why Consider Velasquez
Like Leon, Velasquez represents an option for Democratic primary voters seeking to register dissatisfaction with the incumbent rather than affirmatively support a fully developed alternative candidacy. Voters looking for a credible progressive or moderate alternative to Raskin, with a record and resources, are better served by Kumar, as the only Democratic challenger with meaningful public background information.
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Registered Republicans only may vote in the Republican primary on June 23, 2026. Maryland operates a closed primary. The Republican nominee advances to the November 3, 2026, general election.
Cheryl Riley — Two-Time Nominee
Party: Republican
Residence: Rockville, MD
Website: Cheryl4Maryland.com
Cash on Hand: $4,667 (as of 3/31/2026)
Prior Races: 2024 GOP Nominee (lost general); 2022 Montgomery County Council District 4 candidate
Background
Riley was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Montgomery County. She attended Montgomery College and the University of Maryland, College Park. She left school to begin a career in public relations. She is the only Republican in the field with a general election track record in this district, having been the 2024 GOP nominee against Raskin.
Platform
Riley’s stated priorities include border security, criminal justice reform centered on accountability rather than leniency, reduced inflation, and housing affordability. She has said she believes addressing crime is a prerequisite for other policy progress — citing seniors, women, and children as populations whose safety should be non-negotiable. On abortion, she does not personally support it but believes the issue is a state rather than federal matter and opposes federal funding. On climate, she acknowledges environmental importance but argues that other near-term legislative priorities should come first. She says she intends to represent all constituents regardless of party.
Why Consider Riley
Riley is the best-credentialed Republican in this primary by virtue of having already run and won the GOP nomination in 2024. She understands the district, has built some name recognition, and articulates a center-right accountability message that does not require voters to accept fringe positions. She is blunt about crime and immigration enforcement in a way that contrasts directly with Raskin’s apparent surprise at how ICE-jail cooperation works in practice. Her fundraising is thin — $4,667 cash on hand is not a campaign war chest — but in a district this difficult for Republicans, financial constraints are not unique to her. She is the logical anchor candidate for Republican primary voters who want a nominee with prior general election experience.
Anita Mpambara Cox — Podcast Host and Prior Senate Candidate
Party: Republican
Residence: Derwood, MD
Website: anitamcox.com
Campaign Finance: No FEC filings as of March 31, 2026
Prior Races: 2022 Maryland State Senate District 19 GOP nominee
Background
Cox is a Ugandan-American community leader, podcaster, and nonprofit founder. She served on Montgomery County’s Charter Review Commission and chaired the Gaithersburg Multicultural Affairs Committee. She is the founder and volunteer president of an international education nonprofit (mcoxfoundation.org). In 2022, she was the Republican nominee for Maryland State Senate District 19. She has been an active voice in conservative media through WMAL and other outlets.
Platform
Cox ran in 2022 on a platform emphasizing school choice, parental rights in education, fiscal responsibility, and public safety. Her congressional campaign website states it is being updated with platform specifics for the District 8 race.
Why Consider Cox
Cox brings a distinctive profile to this primary — a credible record of civic leadership, prior legislative campaign experience, a nonprofit background in international education, and a communication platform through media appearances that the other Republican candidates have not matched. Her Ugandan-American identity and multilingual community ties give her a potentially broader appeal in a diverse district than traditional Republican nominees. For voters who want a nominee who has done more than file paperwork, Cox’s civic resume makes her a serious option. The absence of FEC filings is a concern for general election viability, but in a primary field where none of the Republican candidates are well-funded, it does not uniquely disqualify her.
Donald L. Lech — Chemist and Retired Federal Employee
Party: Republican
Residence: Rockville, MD (P.O. Box 8)
Campaign Finance: No FEC filings as of March 31, 2026
Background
Lech is a chemist and retired federal employee. He filed for the Republican primary in February 2026. No campaign website, public platform statements, or FEC filings are available through standard databases as of this writing.
Why Consider Lech
Without a public platform, campaign website, or fundraising record, it is not possible to evaluate Lech on policy. His professional background as a chemist and federal employee could theoretically bring a science-and-government competency lens to issues like regulatory reform, federal workforce policy, or environmental standards — but that framing requires inferring far beyond what he has put on the record. Republican primary voters seeking a candidate who has communicated a vision for the district are better served by Riley or Cox.
Michael Yadeta — Civil Engineer and Repeat Candidate
Party: Republican
Residence: Silver Spring, MD
Website: vote4ymichael.com
Campaign Finance: No FEC filings as of March 31, 2026
Prior Races: 2024 Republican primary (lost to Cheryl Riley); 2022 Republican primary (lost to Gregory Coll)
Background
Yadeta is a civil engineering project manager who has run in the MD-8 Republican primary in both 2022 and 2024, losing both times — to Gregory Coll in 2022 and to Cheryl Riley in 2024. He continues to be active in local Republican politics and has maintained a campaign presence across multiple cycles.
Platform
Yadeta’s prior campaigns have emphasized infrastructure, government accountability, and standard center-right positions. His engineering background positions him as someone who frames policy problems through an implementation and cost-effectiveness lens.
Why Consider Yadeta
Yadeta’s persistence in Republican primaries reflects genuine civic commitment. His engineering background is professionally relevant to infrastructure, federal contracting, and technical regulatory questions that often get lost in partisan noise. However, he has twice been rejected by Republican primary voters in this district, which limits the narrative case for him over Riley, who has the advantage of being the most recent general election nominee. If Republican voters are unsatisfied with Riley’s second run, Yadeta offers a professionally credentialed alternative with established local recognition.
General Election Preview
The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026. The Democratic and Republican primary winners advance automatically. Nancy Wallace has already filed to run as the Green Party candidate in the general.
Nancy Wallace (Green Party) — Technology consultant and perennial candidate, Wallace has appeared on the MD-8 general election ballot multiple times. Her presence provides a protest vote option for voters dissatisfied with both major-party nominees.
Given the district’s D+30 partisan index, the Democratic nominee — almost certainly Raskin — enters the general as a heavy favorite regardless of the Republican opponent. But we believe that anything can happen.
Key Issues in MD-8
These are the issues voters in Montgomery County’s inner suburbs have identified as top concerns heading into 2026:
Public Safety and Crime
Rising retail theft, violent crime incidents in Silver Spring and Rockville, and perception gaps between county crime statistics and resident experience have elevated public safety as a top-tier issue even in this heavily Democratic district. Republican candidates have centered their campaigns here. The Raskin ICE exchange cuts directly to this issue — the congressman appeared unaware that the policy architecture his party has built in many jurisdictions explicitly prevents the cooperation he found puzzling.
Cost of Living and Housing
Montgomery County’s housing market has remained expensive even as broader Maryland affordability pressures have increased. Renters, young families, and essential workers find the district’s housing stock increasingly inaccessible. All serious candidates have acknowledged this issue; the question is which has a credible legislative response.
Immigration Enforcement
Border enforcement and the treatment of immigrants in the criminal justice system are flashpoint issues nationally. MD-8 has a large immigrant population with deep community ties. Candidates who can distinguish between enforcement accountability and community scapegoating are better positioned with the district’s diverse electorate.
Federal Workforce Impacts
Montgomery County has one of the highest concentrations of federal employees in the country. Federal workforce cuts, reclassifications, and agency restructuring under the current administration have directly affected constituents. Any credible MD-8 candidate needs a clear position on federal employment protections.
Sources: Federal Election Commission — Candidate and Committee Filings (elections-2026-05-14 export); Maryland State Board of Elections — 2026 Primary Candidates List (accessed May 14, 2026); Ballotpedia — Maryland’s 8th Congressional District election, 2026; Wikipedia — 2026 United States House elections in Maryland; Politics1.com — 2026 Maryland Election Directory; Bethesda Magazine — Candidate Q&A: Cheryl Riley (2024 voter guide, republished context); Montgomery County Republican Club — Cheryl Riley profile (2026); votejdk.com — J.D. Kumar campaign website (accessed May 14, 2026); anitamcox.com — Anita Mpambara Cox campaign website (accessed May 14, 2026); WMAL / Omny.fm — Anita Mpambara Cox interview, October 2022; Montgomery Community Media / Montgomery Perspective — Governor Moore endorsements, May 2026
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