Karen A. Bushell, the incumbent Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk, is running for reelection in the Nov. 3, 2026, Maryland general election.

Bushell, a Democrat, has held the clerk's office since 2021, according to BallotReady profile data. She is certified for the ballot. Before winning election, Bushell spent nearly two decades working inside the county's court system, rising from an administrative assistant role to chief deputy clerk.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Birthplace: Oak Lawn, Illinois (born 1964)
  • Education: Institute of Court Management Program, National Center for State Courts (2021); Montgomery College (2016); paralegal certificate, George Mason University (2005); high school diploma, Limestone High School

Experience and public service

Bushell has worked in the Montgomery County court system since 2001, according to BallotReady profile data and the Maryland Manual On-Line.

She started as an administrative assistant at the District Court for Montgomery County from 2001 to 2002, according to BallotReady profile data. She then moved to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County as an administrative assistant starting in 2002.

Bushell served as chief deputy clerk at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County from 2014 to 2021, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line. She won election to the clerk's office in 2021.

Her education includes a paralegal certificate from George Mason University earned in 2005, coursework at Montgomery College in 2016 and completion of the Institute of Court Management Program through the National Center for State Courts in 2021, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line.

Bushell has served on several public boards and commissions. She was a member of the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission starting in 2021. She sat on the Judicial Council's Joint Work Group on Human Trafficking from 2016 to 2020. She joined the Montgomery County Mental Health Court Planning and Implementation Task Force in 2015.

She is also a member of three professional associations: the Maryland Circuit Court Clerks' Association, the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management and the Conference of Circuit Court Clerks, all since 2014, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line.

Outside the court system, Bushell founded the Kevin Bushell Foundation in 2018 and serves as its honorary chair, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line.

On the issues

In her written questionnaire response, Bushell described her "ongoing commitment to service and dedication to the Maryland Judiciary and Court system" and said it "has earned her the respect of colleagues and other leaders statewide."

No specific proposals for the clerk's office, implementation plans or funding priorities were included in her response.

Biographical details drawn from the Maryland Manual On-Line and BallotReady. Questionnaire responses attributed to BallotReady.