Judge of the Circuit Court, Circuit 1 — Worcester County
Worcester County · 2026-11-03
Kristina Watkowski is the only active candidate currently listed for this Worcester County Circuit Court judgeship in the 2026 general election.
This is a judicial election rather than an ordinary partisan county-office race. Watkowski appeared unopposed on both Democratic and Republican primary ballots.
What this office does
Maryland's Circuit Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. They handle jury trials, more serious criminal cases, major civil cases, juvenile and family-law matters, and most appeals from the District Court, Orphans' Court and certain administrative agencies.
Candidates
Listed alphabetically by surname. Each summary is written only from the official record and the candidate's own campaign material — never from what anyone else says about them. Other coverage is listed under each candidate and labelled by what kind of source it is.
Kristina Watkowski Incumbent
Judicial
Watkowski received 2,891 votes on Democratic primary ballots and 4,314 votes on Republican primary ballots, unopposed on each.
Maryland Courts records that the governor announced her appointment to the Circuit Court for Worcester County on September 10, 2025. She was sworn in on October 24, 2025 to fill the vacancy created by Judge Mary M. Kent's retirement. Maryland Courts currently lists Watkowski as an active Circuit Court judge in Worcester County.
This draft is intentionally limited to the appointment and election record. It does not characterize judicial philosophy or infer positions from cases handled before or after her appointment.
Sources for this race
Official record
2026 general-election candidate list — Maryland
Official 2026 primary results — Worcester County
Worcester County Circuit Court — Maryland Courts