In late January, Executive Mosaic, the Capital region’s premier organization for government contracting events and media, unveiled its 2026 class of Wash100 Award winners, recognizing the most influential and forward-looking executives across the public and private GovCon sectors.
Following the announcement, the company launched its annual popular vote, giving the public the chance to cast up to 10 votes for their top choice among this year’s honorees. Voting opened in early February and will remain open through late April, with the final results announced in May.
Don’t miss your chance to weigh in. Cast your votes and get in the game now.
Who Led the Wash100 Popular Vote Contest This Week?
The 2026 Wash100 popular vote contest remained highly competitive this week, but Hung Cao of the U.S. Department of the Navy clearly separated himself from the field. Cao claimed the number 1 spot with 616 votes, establishing a commanding lead over the rest of the contenders and emerging as the week’s frontrunner.
Holding firmly in second place, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard earned 395 votes, keeping her comfortably ahead of the crowded pack behind her. The race for the next few positions proved much tighter, as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth finished third with 380 votes, narrowly edging out Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who placed fourth with 379 votes.
Rounding out the top five, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ranked fifth with 367 votes, maintaining steady momentum and reinforcing DHS leadership’s strong presence near the top of the leaderboard.
Which Industry & Defense Leaders Followed Close Behind?
Just outside the top tier, Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger, led the private-sector contingent in sixth place with 281 votes, outperforming several high-profile government officials. Carey Smith of Parsons followed in seventh place with 190 votes, continuing to draw support from Wash100 voters.
Defense leadership remained prominent throughout the middle of the rankings. Gen. Dan Caine of the Joint Chiefs of Staff placed eighth with 179 votes, while Rohit Gupta of Aretum and Srini Attili of SAIC ranked ninth and 10th with 126 and 122 votes, respectively.
How Did the Rest of the Rankings Shake Out?
The remainder of the leaderboard featured several closely contested clusters. Kelly Loeffler of the Small Business Administration secured 11th place with 101 votes, crossing into triple-digit territory. DeEtte Gray of CACI ranked 12th with 93 votes, followed by CACI CEO John Mengucci in 13th place with 83 votes and Barbara Supplee of SAIC in 14th with 76 votes. A tie for 15th place saw MANTECH CEO Matt Tait and DOW CIO Kirsten Davies each earn 63 votes.
Further down, Gen. Michael Guetlein of the U.S. Space Force ranked 17th with 60 votes, followed by Tang Pham of AT&T in 18th place with 55 votes and Kathryn Wang of SandboxAQ in 19th place with 52 votes. Sonny Bhagowalia of DHS and La’Naia Jones of the CIA tied for 20th place with 51 votes each, while Hon. Michael Duffey of the Department of War placed 22nd with 48 votes.
The final stretch included Dr. Kelly Fletcher of the State Department in 23rd place with 46 votes, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in 24th with 45 votes, and Justin Fanelli and John Phelan of the U.S. Department of the Navy in 25th and 26th with 44 and 42 votes, respectively. Rounding out the rankings, CGI Federal President Stephanie Mango finished 27th with 40 votes, Kathy Warden of Northrop Grumman ranked 28th with 39 votes, and Adm. Samuel Paparo of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Lt. Gen. Michele Bredenkamp of NGA tied for 29th with 38 votes.
As the Wash100 Popularity Vote continued, the narrow margins across much of the leaderboard suggested that even small shifts in voter support could significantly reshape the standings in the weeks ahead.
You can help get your favorite winner to the top by making sure to vote!
