Sarah Wolek, a Democrat, is seeking a full term representing District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

District 16 has three seats. Wolek shares the Democratic ticket with Marc Korman and Teresa Saavedra Woorman. Republican Ann Guthrie Hingston and Working Class candidate Bob White are also running, according to BallotReady election data.

Voters will choose up to three candidates.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • District: District 16 (Montgomery County)
  • Born: Nov. 6, 1979, in New York, New York
  • High school: Thomas S. Wootten High School, Rockville
  • Education: Bachelor of science in decision information sciences and bachelor of arts in economics, University of Maryland, College Park (2001); master of business administration, Columbia Business School, Columbia University (2004); master of arts in public policy, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
  • Current professional role: Senior faculty specialist, Department of Management and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park (2017–present)

Experience and public service

Wolek has served in the House of Delegates since 2023, according to the Maryland Manual Online. She sits on the Appropriations Committee, where she serves on the oversight committee on pensions and as vice chair of the education and economic development subcommittee starting in 2026.

She also serves as parliamentarian of the Maryland Legislative Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Caucus and as secretary of Women Legislators of Maryland.

Before entering the legislature, Wolek held several federal government positions, according to BallotReady profile data:

  • Economist, Regional Division, Bureau of Economic Analysis (2006–2007)
  • Program examiner and policy analyst, White House Office of Management and Budget (2007–2009)
  • Policy analyst, Office of Federal Financial Management, White House Office of Management and Budget (2011–2012)
  • Negotiator and adviser, U.S. Mission to the United Nations (2013–2014)
  • Senior policy adviser of small business, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2014–2015)
  • Chief of staff, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2015–2018)

In Montgomery County, Wolek has served on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (2018, 2022) and on the boards of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the Bethesda Art and Entertainment District and Bethesda Green, according to the Maryland Manual Online.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Wolek, according to BallotReady profile data, which credits each endorsement to the endorser:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland
  • AFSCME
  • Maryland State Education Association
  • Reproductive Justice Maryland

This profile was compiled from publicly available candidate information, including the Maryland Manual Online and BallotReady. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile. The Potomac Beacon plans to profile all candidates in contested races ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.