The third week of voting in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote contest delivered another round of higher totals and intensified competition across the leaderboard. Compared to last week, vote counts continued to climb, and the race for the No. 2 position narrowed to a single vote, signaling heightened engagement as the contest progressed.
Who Led Week 3 of the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote?
For the third consecutive week, Hung Cao of the U.S. Department of the Navy held the top rank, increasing his total from 2,011 votes in Week 2 to 2,109 votes in Week 3. His steady momentum kept him firmly in front of the pack.
Behind him, the competition tightened dramatically. Secretary of State Marco Rubio secured the No. 2 position with 1,432 votes, up from 1,337 votes in Week 2. Just one vote behind, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ranked third with 1,431 votes, improving from 1,343 the prior week.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ranked fourth with 1,391 votes, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem followed closely in fifth place with 1,388 votes. The three-vote margin between fourth and fifth underscored how tightly clustered the top tier had become.
Which Leaders Held Strong Positions in the Top 15?
Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger, remained the highest-ranking industry executive in sixth place with 810 votes, building on his 781-vote total from Week 2.
Gen. Dan Caine of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ranked seventh with 793 votes, up from 746 votes. Kelly Loeffler of the Small Business Administration secured eighth place with 451 votes, while Tang Pham of AT&T held ninth with 386 votes.
Rounding out the top 10, Adel Al-Saleh of SES ranked 10th with 324 votes, expanding his presence after earning 254 votes in Week 2.
Just outside the top 10, Carey Smith of Parsons placed 11th with 294 votes, followed by Gen. Michael Guetlein of the U.S. Space Force in 12th place with 278 votes. DOW CIO Kirsten Davies ranked 13th with 271 votes, Rohit Gupta of Aretum secured 14th place with 256 votes, and Srini Attili of SAIC completed the top 15 with 211 votes.
How Did the Rest of the Leaderboard Shape Up?
The middle and lower tiers continued to post steady gains compared to Week 2.
John Phelan of the U.S. Department of the Navy ranked 16th with 207 votes, while John Heneghan of ECS followed in 17th place with 196 votes.
DeEtte Gray of CACI secured 18th place with 192 votes, and Hon. Michael Duffey of the Department of War ranked 19th with 178 votes. CACI CEO John Mengucci placed 20th with 173 votes, while CGI Federal President Stephanie Mango ranked 21st with 160 votes.
Reappearing in Week 3, Matt Tait of ManTech secured 22nd place with 147 votes.
Sonny Bhagowalia of DHS earned 23rd place with 138 votes, followed by La’Naia Jones of the CIA in 24th place with 123 votes and Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in 25th place with 120 votes.
Rounding out the Week 3 standings, Lt. Gen. Michele Bredenkamp of NGA ranked 26th with 117 votes, Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd of the NSA followed in 27th place with 115 votes, and Maria Demaree of Lockheed Martin debuted in 28th place with 109 votes. Harish Luthra of SAP NS2 ranked 29th with 108 votes, and Barbara Supplee of SAIC completed the leaderboard in 30th place with 107 votes.
Week 3 of the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote competition reflected sustained engagement and increasingly narrow margins at the top. With only one vote separating second and third place and just three votes dividing fourth and fifth, the contest remained highly competitive heading into the next round.
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