Harford County Council President Patrick Vincenti will challenge County Executive Bob Cassilly for county executive in the 2026 primary election.

Vincenti, a Republican, made the announcement during a fundraiser Thursday night.

His campaign centers on “common sense leadership,” with a focus on spending, agricultural preservation, economic development, public safety and education. Vincenti pledges to lead with “conservative and honest values.”

Vincenti’s time in office dates back to 2014, when he was first elected to serve Harford County’s District E. Four years later in 2018, he was elected as council president and secured reelection in 2022.

The relationship between Cassilly and Vincenti has remained mostly out of the spotlight compared to the relationships between other elected officials in the county.

However, prior to the council’s passage of the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget, Vincenti and the council introduced numerous amendments that threatened to cut funding to areas of Cassilly’s proposed budget. Instead, Vincenti urged Cassilly to increase funding to areas such as the sheriff’s office and state’s attorney’s office.

Both State’s Attorney Alison Healey and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who have had public disagreements with Cassilly, were in attendance at Thursday night’s fundraiser.

The two leaders also shared disagreements on Cassilly’s move to stop partnering with the tourism nonprofit, Visit Harford. Vincenti proposed legislation that would have amended the county charter to include designated funding for the organization but Cassilly vetoed the amendment.

Similarly, the two had differing opinions on how the county should proceed with controversial development projects including Abingdon Woods, Perryman Peninsula and Ava Mar.

Vincenti and Cassilly will face off in the 2026 primary on June 23 with early voting running from June 11 to June 18.

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