Will Jawando's campaign for Montgomery County executive held its first rally since his Sept. 5 heart attack, and the candidate wasn't there.

Jawando, 43, the Democratic nominee, has been recovering at home since doctors placed a stent in his heart at George Washington University Hospital. He suffered the heart attack during a pickup basketball game and was discharged Sept. 10.

At Lone Oak Farm Brewing Company in Olney on Thursday evening, campaign staffers played a video of Jawando recovering at home for a crowd that included Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Del. Greg Wims, Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Kristin Mink, Board of Education candidate Omar Lazo and Montgomery County Recreation Director Gabe Albornoz, Montgomery Community Media reported.

Jawando's wife, Michele Jawando, had been scheduled to speak. A campaign aide told Montgomery Community Media she was "too emotionally overwhelmed" to attend.

She did not appear.

The Jawando family's Sept. 7 Instagram post had asked for privacy during his recovery, stating that "Michele and the kids have asked for privacy while he recovers." That request added context to her absence from the Olney event.

Jawando faces Republican Esther Wells in the Nov. 3 general election. He won the June Democratic primary with more than 40% of the vote, defeating fellow council members Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass, according to Maryland Matters.

In a video released Sept. 10, the day he left the hospital, Jawando said, "I'll be back on track before you know it," The Banner reported. In that same video, he urged people to monitor their health, saying he was in shape and worked out regularly but that "things can happen."

His campaign said in the Sept. 7 Instagram post that Jawando would follow a lighter schedule for several weeks but was still working. His doctors have said they expect a full recovery, and his chief of staff, Dave Kunes, has said Jawando has no prior history of cardiac issues, according to Bethesda Magazine.

Council President Natali Fani-González said in a Sept. 7 statement that Jawando is "staying fully engaged in critical matters" and would temporarily participate in council meetings remotely.

The campaign has not announced when Jawando will return to in-person events before the general election.