Opinion: Rise of Khan, MoCo’s Rising Star

Submitted by Robert Stubblefield and Mike Puskar.

As the Board of Elections finished tabulating votes in Montgomery County’s Democratic primary for County Council At-Large, perhaps the most intriguing story is not simply who won the race, but who may have emerged as its most consequential new political figure.

That distinction may belong to Hamza Khan.

A Late Entry in a Crowded Field

A relative unknown when he entered the race in February, Khan joined a crowded field of candidates who filed near the deadline. Four months later, he has positioned himself as one of the county’s most closely watched emerging political figures.

At just 38 years old, Khan was the second-youngest candidate in the field. Unlike several opponents who spent years cultivating donor networks, institutional relationships, and countywide name recognition, Khan built a viable campaign organization and significant public profile in less than four months. By nearly every measure, he outperformed expectations against candidates with decades of political infrastructure behind them.

Qualifying for Public Financing

One of the campaign’s earliest milestones came through Montgomery County’s public financing program. Khan was the final candidate to qualify for matching funds, accomplishing the feat in roughly 45 days. Notably, he suspended fundraising throughout Ramadan, limiting his fundraising window even further.

An Independent Strategy

While several leading candidates relied heavily on long-established institutional coalitions and endorsement networks, Khan deliberately pursued an independent strategy. His campaign centered on governmental accountability, political corruption, democratic reform, and restoring public confidence in county government.

That message reflected Khan’s own background in public affairs and his graduate studies in democracy and governance at Georgetown University. Rather than emphasizing endorsements or longstanding political alliances, the campaign consistently framed the election around institutional reform and public trust.

Building the Operation

The operation itself grew rapidly. In less than 120 days, Khan assembled a policy advisory team that included roughly 40 researchers and public policy professionals, many with backgrounds at Georgetown and Harvard. During the campaign’s closing weeks, that infrastructure expanded into a countywide field operation, an extensive direct-mail program, and a digital media strategy that generated millions of online impressions and several viral video clips focused on government accountability.

Running Without the Institutions

The campaign nevertheless faced substantial headwinds. Several of Montgomery County’s most influential institutional organizations, including the teachers’ union, MCEA, did not endorse Khan or, according to the campaign, declined to meet with him. Other influential organizations, including MCGEO and CASA in Action, had already endorsed full slates of candidates before Khan had established his campaign.

Yet the campaign continued to build momentum. Campaign finance reports reveal an unusually broad donor coalition that included elected officials alongside supporters drawn from virtually every region of Montgomery County.

Khan showed poise, grace and character despite how ugly the primary got in the end as well as doubts from organizations on whether or not he was a viable candidate.

Its field operation also attracted attention. On Election Day, the campaign presented evidence supporting its claim of deploying approximately 75 volunteers at polling locations across the county, a notable showing for a first-time countywide candidate operating outside the traditional political establishment.

The Coalition Behind the Campaign

Perhaps most striking was the coalition Khan assembled behind the scenes. His senior team included veteran political operatives, former party officials, progressive movement leaders, and respected figures from Montgomery County’s African immigrant, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish communities. Building that kind of cross-community coalition in such a compressed timeframe is no small feat, particularly in one of the nation’s most diverse counties.

What the Campaign Proved

Though Khan did not win a seat on the County Council, that is beside the point. His campaign demonstrated that a first-time candidate, with little institutional backing, limited time, and an unconventional message centered on democratic reform, could build a serious countywide political operation in just a few months.

The question emerging from this election may no longer be whether Hamza Khan has a future in Montgomery County politics, but what office he chooses to pursue next.

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Editor’s note: Khan was not among the four winners of the June 23 Democratic primary for County Council At-Large. The Montgomery County Board of Elections certified the results on July 8, with the four nominations going to Marc Elrich, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Scott Evan Goldberg and Karla Silvestre out of a field of 17 Democrats. Moderately MOCO posted about Khan during the campaign as part of its candidate introduction series. Opinions expressed are the authors’ own.

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