DC Politics Is About to Get Wild

"This year will be seismic for District politics: The city is picking a new mayor, an unusual number of council members, and likely a new congressional delegate. The shuffling-around of familiar figures is confusing, so here's a first look. Robert White. The at-large DC Council member and critic of Mayor Muriel Bowser once worked for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. Now he's running for the embattled congresswoman's seat against . . . Brooke Pinto."

"The Ward 2 council member has made a name for herself as chair of the body's public-safety committee. Before her successful long-shot council bid in 2020, she worked for . . . Karl Racine. DC's previous attorney general is being talked about as a candidate for mayor-a race that's been heating up since Bowser announced she won't run. If Racine runs, he'd be facing another of his former employees. . . . Janeese Lewis-George."

"The current council member raised $40,000 to qualify for public financing in an unprecedented four hours and will reportedly run as a Zohran Mamdani-style democratic socialist. She'll face strong candidates in the primary, including . . . Kenyan McDuffie. Once a DC mail carrier, he's now an at-large council member-or he was before he recently resigned to run for mayor. The council will appoint a replacement until a special election, as when a vacant seat led to the 2012 appointment of McDuffie's colleague . . . Anita Bonds."

A major reshuffling of District leadership is creating numerous competitive 2026 races. Robert White, an at-large council member and former staffer to Eleanor Holmes Norton, is running for Norton’s congressional seat. Brooke Pinto, Ward 2 council chair of the public-safety committee, previously worked for Karl Racine, who is being discussed as a potential mayoral candidate. Janeese Lewis-George quickly met public-financing thresholds and plans a democratic socialist-style campaign. Kenyan McDuffie resigned his at-large seat to run for mayor, prompting an interim council appointment and a special election. Several incumbents, including Anita Bonds and Brianne Nadeau, are not seeking reelection, opening crowded contests.

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