Gov. Wes Moore has thrown his weight behind at large County Council member Will Jawando in the closely watched race for Montgomery County executive.

The governor endorsed Jawando and 26 other candidates across the state Friday evening.

“We have delivered enormous progress for the people of Maryland since taking office, but there is still more work to do, and Will Jawando is a leader who will help us finish the job in Montgomery County,” Moore said in a statement provided by Jawando’s campaign.

Moore supported candidates in other contested county executive races during an earlier round of endorsements in May but refrained from wading into Montgomery County’s.

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His support of Jawando may not come as a surprise.

The council member endorsed Moore early on during his first campaign for governor and dropped out of a U.S. Senate race in 2023 to throw his support behind then-Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Moore ally.

Alsobrooks endorsed Jawando last month.

“Montgomery County families deserve a County Executive and a Governor who will work together to lower costs, strengthen our schools, and build a county where the neighborhood you grow up in does not decide how far you go,” Jawando said in a statement.

An endorsement from Moore is one of the most prized for Montgomery County executive candidates.

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But each of the three leading candidates — Jawando, at large council member Evan Glass and District 1 member Andrew Friedson — has his share of powerful supporters.

Just this past week, Glass secured an endorsement from Council President Natali Fani-González, who had previously pledged to stay out of the race.

U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, who represents Howard and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties, is among Friedson’s most high-profile supporters.

The primary is June 23, and early voting will be held June 11-18.

This story has been updated.