We hit the banks of the Potomac and Anacostia with "Ernie the Hog Snatcher" and a host of other locals, who say fishing brings them peace, community, and fun.
As we get into 2026, the chatter around the upcoming D.C. elections will start getting louder. It’s expected to be a big year, after all.
We could see Mayor Muriel Bowser run for a historic fourth term or step aside to unleash a competitive open race for the city’s top office. And while being D.C.’s delegate to Congress doesn’t confer much actual power, this might be the first election in decades where there’s real competition for the seat. At the D.C. Council, some of the races look to be snoozers – but over in Ward 1, there’s a barrage of candidates offering diverse visions for the future of the city.
But it’s not just who’s running (and who’s not) that will make 2026 interesting, but also how residents will vote in the June primary and November general elections. Yes, that’s right: ranked-choice voting looks to be on its way. And even after voters cast their ballots, there might be more elections in the offing; since various sitting lawmakers are running for higher office, special elections would have to be held to fill their current seats if they win.
We here at The 51st will be covering the races closely. Have thoughts on what we should focus on or things you’d like to know? Hit us up.
In the meantime, here’s the state of the races so far ahead of the June primary, which in many cases is the city’s decisive election. (With the usual caveat: All these candidates still have to collect signatures to get on the ballot. That process starts in late January, and often slims down some of the slate.)
The mayor’s race that still isn’t
If there’s one thing that’s surprising about the race for D.C.’s top elected office, it’s that there’s not much of a race at all – at least, not yet.
Potential candidates have been waiting for months to see whether Mayor Muriel Bowser opts to seek a fourth term, which if she did (and won) would make her the city’s longest-serving executive. While there have been rumors that she will and whispers that she won’t, Bowser hasn’t said anything definitive yet, leaving the mayoral contest in an unusual stand-still as we head into the holiday season. (In years past, mayoral candidates jumped into the race in the early fall.)
But the dam may soon break. There have been increasing hints that Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George will soon announce a mayoral bid, giving her progressive supporters hopes of a Zohran Mamdami-like victory in 2026. Last week she said she is considering it, but didn’t indicate when she might make a final decision. (She said that while she supports what Mamdani is doing in New York, she’s also a big fan of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.)
At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has acknowledged that he is interested in a mayoral run of his own, but he’s also not setting any timeline for when he might make the call. During a recent appearance on WAMU 88.5’s The Politics Hour, McDuffie said he would make a decision independent of what Bowser decides.
"I have given serious thought to running for mayor," he said. "I cannot tell you what [Bowser] will do. I am not making a decision based on what others are going to do."
Why are these folks taking so long to make up their minds? Part of it is the game of candidate chicken; they want to see who announces first before making up their own mind. But there’s also a slightly more cynical take floating around: Given all the challenges the next mayor will face – from an unpredictable, often hostile federal administration to a weak local economy – who actually wants to run the city?
In the meantime, at least one lesser-known challenger isn’t waiting at all. Gary Goodweather, a developer, launched his mayoral campaign months ago. (If he won, he would become D.C.’s first Jewish mayor.)
Norton hasn’t quit, but lots of people want to replace her
For decades, there was one certainty in D.C. politics: challenging D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton was a fool's errand. The civil rights icon was the city’s “warrior on the Hill,” after all, and no challenger ever articulated a good enough reason to unseat her.
But D.C.’s non-voting delegate is now 88, and she has been notably frail and lacking in the usual vociferousness that has represented residents’ frustrations with their second-class status for the past 30 years. Her diminished stature has been even more notable given the increasing threats to local autonomy from a Republican-led Congress and Trump’s White House. Even one of her closest allies has publicly pushed her to retire.
When Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau announced in September that she wouldn’t be running for a fourth term on the council, the proverbial political dam burst open in the city’s smallest and densest ward.
Six people have announced their candidacy thus far, and they come in nearly every political flavor: there’s progressive Aparna Raj, former Bowser aide Jackie Reyes Yanes, Nadeau endorsee Rashida Brown, longtime civic activist Terry Lynch, and ANC commissioners Brian Footer and Miguel Trindade Deramo.
Should they all make the ballot, this crowded race will likely be the greatest test of ranked-choice voting in its first go-around in D.C.
The rest of the council
Much like the mayoral race, there isn’t much happening in the contest for council chairman. Current Chairman Phil Mendelson has told us that he will run again, but he hasn’t yet launched his campaign – and neither have any erstwhile challengers.
Things are similarly quiet over in Ward 3, where incumbent Matt Frumin is the only declared candidate.
In Ward 5, where current Councilmember Zachary Parker hasn’t yet announced whether he will run again, challenger Jeffrey Kihien has just announced his own candidacy.
The race for two at-large seats is heating up a bit. For the seat held by Councilmember Anita Bonds, who hasn’t said if she’ll run again, there are already a number of declared challengers: retiring Shadow Representative Oye Owolewa and former council staffers Candace Tiana Nelson and Leniqua’dominique Jenkins. And McDuffie’s seat will be up for grabs in November, but whether he tries to keep it or not will likely depend on whether he runs for mayor or not. (Because of the quirks with this non-Democratic seat, he can’t both run for mayor as a Democrat and stay on in his council seat as an independent.)
Those are the scheduled races, but others may pop up. First up, of course, could be in Ward 8. Current Councilmember Trayon White goes on trial for federal bribery charges in March. If convicted, he’d be booted off the council pretty much immediately, prompting a special election to fill the seat. (Recall that he was expelled by his colleagues earlier this year, only to win his seat back in July’s special election. If convicted, though, he’d be barred from trying it again.)
Second is McDuffie’s at-large seat, should he run for mayor (and whether or not he wins). And then there’s possible special elections early in 2027, should any current office-holder win a new seat.
About that ranked-choice voting
As mentioned, one of the biggest changes voters are expected to see is how they actually cast their ballots. Ranked-choice voting was approved by voters in 2022 and funded by the council earlier this summer. In RCV, every voter ranks candidates based on their personal preference, and a winner emerges after various rounds of counting and elimination of the lowest-ranked candidates.
Officials with the D.C. Board of Elections say they are working toward implementing it in time for the June primary. They met with their counterparts in Arlington County, which implemented RCV back in 2023, to better understand the mechanics of the new system and how to educate voters. That education campaign is expected to kick off in earnest early next year.
We hit the banks of the Potomac and Anacostia with "Ernie the Hog Snatcher" and a host of other locals, who say fishing brings them peace, community, and fun.
With your help, we pursue stories that hold leaders to account, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District. Our members help keep local news free and independent for all:
