On Nov. 6 2018, thousands of people in Montgomery County came out to vote in the midterm elections. Alongside the midterm elections was the Montgomery County Executive race. Three candidates, Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, and Robin Ficker ran against each other for the Montgomery County Executive position with Marc Elrich winning the election.Each candidate had different platforms which contributed to their level of success in the race. Democrat Marc Elrich  is a strong believer in closing the opportunity gap and improving infrastructure. Furthermore, he was a 12-year council member. “Marc Elrich is a current member of the county council so he has wide name recognition so that may play a role in this race,” social studies teacher Noah Grosfeld-Katz said.

Independent Nancy Floreen positioned herself as a moderate leader in her campaign. She supports workforce development, support of local businesses, and school construction. She was also a county council member in the past.

For Republican Robin Ficker, this is his 20th time running. He prioritizes equal education across the county and reducing gridlock on our roads. Unlike the other candidates, he does not have any experience on the Montgomery County council.

In the end, Marc Elrich captured 64.3 percent of all votes. “Partisanship plays a large role. With Montgomery County so democratic it’s not a shock to see Marc Elrich winning the election,” RM Sophomore Danesh Sivakumar said. Math teacher Carrie Gaffney states, “Our elections are a voluntary response survey, which means that people choose themselves to vote in them. And as a result, people who have strong opinions one way or the other end up being the ones who vote the most. This may be the reason candidate Marc Elrich won the election.”

Nancy Floreen also may have played a big role in the election. Some voters believe that she divided the vote by taking votes away from candidate Marc Elrich. Although this was a valid concern, Elrich wound up capturing more votes than the combined number of votes obtained by Floreen and Ficker.

The Montgomery County Executive has many responsibilities, including managing county infrastructure and controlling much of the county’s budget. In this way, the County Executive is an integral part of ensuring that Montgomery County continues to prosper.

In regards to possible changes at Richard Montgomery High School, on Marc Elrich’s website, it states that he will “take an ‘inside-outside’ strategy that builds both stronger communities and stronger schools.” Montgomery County can expect to see changes in the distribution of resources to teachers and students for a more focused learning experience.