Ryan O’Connor Announces Over $55k Raised in 10 weeks
Spring Report filing reflects grassroots support across District 5; O’Connor draws sharp contrast with opponent drawing from county general-fund dollars
WEST FRIENDSHIP, MD — Ryan O’Connor, Republican candidate for Howard County Council District 5, today announced that his campaign raised over $55 thousand from 100 individual contributors during the Spring Report period ending April 7, 2026. The campaign finishes the period with over $46 thousand cash on hand as the race heads toward the June 23 primary.
The dollars came from private contributors — the majority from Howard County residents, with deep support across District 5’s communities: Glenelg, Woodbine, West Friendship, Clarksville, Glenwood, Cooksville, Dayton, and Marriottsville.
“This is a neighbor-to-neighbor campaign, and these numbers tell that story,” said O’Connor. “Not one cent came from Howard County’s taxpayer dollars. Every dollar came from a person — a teacher, a first responder, a small business owner, a parent — who wrote a check because they want their County Council to actually listen.”
O’Connor pointed to a contrast he believes voters in District 5 should understand clearly: his leading opponent is participating in Howard County’s Citizens’ Election Fund, drawing matching dollars from a program funded by taxer dollars and away from schools, public safety, fire and EMS, mental health services, and road and bridge maintenance.
“The Citizens’ Election Fund is not like the federal system, where you check a box on your 1040 and three dollars moves from your own return into a presidential campaign,” O’Connor said. “In Howard County, public financing dollars are appropriated by the County Council out of the same budget that funds a classroom in Centennial, a police car in Lisbon, and an ambulance on Route 144. Council candidates in this program can draw more than $100,000 in county taxpayer dollars per cycle — money that ends up paying for robo dials, junk mail, and consultants instead of the classrooms and first responders it was meant for. That is a choice. My opponent made hers. I made mine.”
“I chose to ask my neighbors,” he added. “And my neighbors showed up.”
O’Connor, a lifelong Howard County resident and 1996 graduate of Glenelg High School, lives in West Friendship with his wife and three children, all of whom attend Howard County Public Schools. He serves as Director of the Howard County Boys Club Lacrosse program and works in project finance in the energy sector.
The campaign’s three priorities — drawn from months of doorstep conversations across District 5 — remain Strong Schools. Lower Taxes. Safe Communities.
“HCPSS budgets are up more than 40% since 2020 while enrollment is below pre-COVID levels, and buildings in our part of the county are falling behind on basic maintenance,” O’Connor said. “Annapolis just passed a $1.6 billion tax increase, the largest in Maryland history. Families are stretched. When my opponent’s campaign pulls from the same fund that’s supposed to be paying for those schools and those services, voters deserve to know that.”
Supporters can learn more and contribute at RyanForHoCo.com.