This summer will be the first mayoral election cycle to not include Muriel Bowser since 2014. In addition to bringing in many new candidates for office, this will be the first election that the class of 2026 will vote in.
In June, DC will host the first mayoral primary election and in November, the general election will take place, and DC will inaugurate a new mayor in January of 2027.
Of the 11 currently registered mayoral candidates, James McMorris, Rhonda Hamilton, Christopher Teague, and Muhsin Umar are Independents, Adrian Byrd, Robert Gross, Cody Birchfield, and Regan Jones are Democrats, Esa Muhammed and Myrtle Alexander are Republicans and Da’Moni Ivey is a member of another party.
As one of two Republican candidates, Myrtle Alexander remains a lesser known candidate thus far. According to her campaign platform, the major focuses of her campaign are to “bring back the Bible,” “cancel crime” and “harness homelessness” as well as focusing on “traditional families.” As of yet, she has made no comments on recent Trump actions or those of Mayor Bowser, though she did run for US House Non-Voting Representative in 2024.
Additionally, recent council members Kenyan McDuffie, who served as an Independent before stepping down in January, and Democrat Janeese Lewis George have announced their candidacy, as has local developer Gary Goodweather. They have not, however, officially registered their campaigns.
Northeast DC native McDuffie recently announced that he will step down from his council seat and register as a Democrat to participate in the primaries this June. Long considered a close ally of Mayor Bowser, his goals include business “growth with guardrails” and a focus on affordability for DC residents. As the former chair of the council’s business committee, he emphasizes bringing large and small businesses to the city.
Mayor Bowser has suggested she will back McDuffie’s mayoral candidacy, though he has widely criticized her cooperation with President Trump. In reference to Boweser’s policy of allowing MPD officers to cooperate with ICE across the city, McDuffie has said, “It’s got to end.”
Current Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, who describes herself as a Democratic Socialist, represents a more progressive direction for the DC Democratic party. Lewis George appears to be playing on frustrations over Bowser’s cooperation with the Trump administration and the recent New York mayoral election.
In recent years, she has championed the council’s progressive faction, championing a bill to guarantee a full-time librarian at every DCPS school, as well as voting against the recent DC youth curfew. She does align with Bowser and McDuffie on some issues, including affordable housing and the controversial multi-billion dollar deal bringing the Commanders back to RFK stadium.
Based on their previous legislative experience, broad public support and campaign finance, ex-Councilmember McDuffie and current Councilmember Lewis George will likely be the frontrunners in the June Democratic Primary which is open only to registered members of the party. In the general election in November, open to all DC registered voters of age, they will face the winner of the Republican primary as well as Independent candidates, who do not have primaries. •