The crowded field for Prince George’s County executive just got more crowded.

State Sen. Alonzo Washington (D-Prince George’s) told a crowd of supporters gathered at Busboys and Poets restaurant in Hyattsville on Wednesday night that he will run to succeed Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, who resigned as county executive last week before moving to the Senate.

“I’m very proud here today, to announce to you all, on behalf of myself, my family, my wife [and] my baby daughter standing right in front of me, I announce my candidacy for county executive of Prince George’s County,” Washington said in a video posted on X by Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s), a Washington supporter. The two represent District 22, which includes Greenbelt, Hyattsville and New Carrollton.

In a press release released late Wednesday, Washington summarized a family history that included being homeless “for a short time” and living in the county’s most troubled neighborhoods, before becoming the first in his family to attend college.

“The responsibility of leading Prince George’s County is profound and consequential, and I’m excited to lead a grassroots campaign that focuses on integrity and accountabilit,” his statement said. “Our residents deserve nothing less.”

Washington is the fifth high-profile Democrat to enter the executive’s race: Former two-term County Executive Rushern L. Baker III officially announced Monday; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy indicated her interest just days after Alsobrooks’ Senate victory, and will host a campaign event Dec. 18 in Lanham; County Council Chair Jolene Ivey, who won a special election last month for an at-large council seat, announced her executive bid last week, as did the other at-large councilmember, Calvin Hawkins.

Hawkins hosted an event earlier in the day Wednesday to formally unveil his candidacy for a roomful of supporters at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Largo.

“You will hear the other candidates talk about their background and their plans, but what you won’t hear [is] a proven record of serving the grassroots of our community,” Hawkins told the crowd, which included Sen. Nick Charles (D-Prince George’s) and Terry Lierman, the father of Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D).

Washington was a member of the House of Delegates for a little more than 10 years before being appointed in January 2023 to replace longtime Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), who left to become head of the Maryland Energy Administration under the then-new administration of Gov. Wes Moore (D).

While in the House, Washington served on the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, also known as the Kirwan Commission. That group crafted the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan the legislature first approved in 2019.

Ordinarily, Washington, like his 187 colleagues in the General Assembly, would be prohibited from raising money during the three-month legislative session, which runs from Jan. 8 to April 7. But the law makes an exception for state lawmakers seeking other offices while serving in the legislature and using their state campaign accounts for their campaigns.

That rule allowed then-Sen. Catherine Pugh (D) to continue raising money during the 2016 session for her campaign for mayor of Baltimore; in 2014, then-Sens. Barry Glassman (R) and Allan Kittleman (R) were able to raise money during the legislative session as they were running for Harford County and Howard County executive, respectively.

As a result, Washington should be able to keep raising money for his newly declared county executive campaign during the 2025 session — just like his opponents in the Democratic primary for executive, who are not bound by the moratorium on fundraising during the 90-day legislative session.

Under the county charter, the county’s chief administrative officer, Tara H. Jackson, became acting county executive after Alsobrooks’ resignation. Jackson said last week that she does not plan to seek the position permanently.

On Monday, the County Council voted unanimously to set special election dates for the primary election on March 4 and the general election May 27. In addition to the county executive race, residents of council District 5 will be voting to replace Ivey, who vacated the district seat when she was elected to the open at-large seat this fall.

Maryland Matters Founding Editor Josh Kurtz contributed to this story.