Candidates for Maryland’s June primary had to file campaign finance statements Apr. 21, if they had not already filed in January. Here’s a look at the filings of county council candidates competing to represent residents of the three cities we cover.
District 1 (Laurel and North College Park)
Michelle Garcia raised $30,000 between Nov. 2025 and Jan. 14, 2026. The money came from 355 donors, over 250 in Prince George’s County. Garcia is participating in the county’s new public campaign financing program. Under the rules of that program, she can’t take more than $250 from any one donor. She applied for over $80,000 in matching funds, and told WAMU she has received some portion of that matching funding.
Martin Mitchell has been raising money longer, and has raised even more from small donors, although he is not participating in the public financing program. Between Jan. 9 2025 and Jan. 14 2026, he raised more than $57,000 from 475 donors, about half in Prince George’s County. Mitchell has 66 out-of-state donors compared to Garcia’s nine. Larger contributions include $1,810 total from cannabis dispensaries in Laurel, as well as $1,250 from Eugene Monroe, a former football player for the Ravens and cannabis advocate.
Darwin Romero is later to campaign fundraising for this race, having received just $913 in contributions between Feb. 23 and April 7, from 13 donors, five of whom share his last name.
District 2 (Hyattsville)
Victor Ramirez, a long-time area politician who lives in the City of Hyattsville, had $73,000 in his political campaign account Jan. 14. He is running as a Democrat to represent District 2 on the county council, which includes Hyattsville.
His challenger Daniel Armando Jones, also a Democrat, had about $4,600 in his account on the same date. At that time, out of about 25 donors, Jones had only a handful with Prince George’s County addresses, including several with whom he shares an address.
Pamela Boozer-Strother, school board representative for the area that includes Hyattsville, donated a small amount to Jones’ campaign.
Ramirez raised $62,000 from Jan. 9, 2025, to Jan. 14, 2026 from 88 donors, 53 of whom have addresses in Prince George’s County. Organized labor and Latino small businesses contributed significantly to his campaign. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, the speaker for the Maryland House of Delegates, and Jimmy Tarlau, a former state delegate and former Mount Rainier councilmember contributed too.
Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his fundraising after Jan. 14. Both candidates have held fundraising events in recent weeks.
District 3 (College Park)
In College Park, Eric Olson, the current council member for District 3, is running unopposed for a second term. He had $53,000 in his campaign account as of Jan. 14, and had raised $15,000 in 2025 from 74 donors, nearly all of whom gave addresses in Prince George’s County.
At-large council members (entire county)
For the at-large position, representing the whole county, only four of eight Democratic candidates have done significant fundraising reflected in filed reports.
Jolene Ivey, an incumbent at-large councilmember, had by far the most money in the bank and had raised the most as well. A long-time Prince George’s County politician, she had more than $120,000 in her campaign account as of Jan. 14 — a lot, but not surprising considering she raised more than $364,00 in 2024 for a special election at-large campaign and a brief run for county executive.
Between June 11, 2025, and Jan 14, 2026, Ivey raised $23,000 from 49 donors. More than half of those donors had addresses in Prince George’s County, and seven had addresses out of state. Daniel Carrillo, a DC-area real estate agent and investor, gave the largest donation: $6,000, the maximum allowable.
Councilmember Sidney Harrison (District 9), who represents the county’s southernmost district, is also seeking an at-large seat. He had the second-highest level of funds at his disposal, with $42,000 in his campaign bank account as of Jan. 14. He did not raise any money between June 11 and Jan. 14.
The two other at-large candidates who have raised a significant sum per state reports are Jeana Jacobs, a Bowie attorney who had almost $19,000 in the bank as of April 7, and Jennifer Rios, who raised $5,650 between Feb. 12 and April 7.
Jennifer Rios has 38 contributions of $200 or less, about a third from out-of-state donors. Donors include Ron Oliver, who is running for sheriff, and Daniel Armando Jones, the District 2 county council candidate. There are only three donors who gave more than $300, including Rios herself and her son.
Nearly all of Jacobs’ campaign contributions over the past few months are from two sources: a $6,000 donation from the Construction and Public Employees Laborers PAC based in Upper Marlboro, and $250 from Karl Granzow, an area developer who does business in the county and was convicted of extortion in 2012 for bribing officials to support developments.