With just under two months to go until D.C.’s critical June 16 primary election, more residents are starting to tune into what will be the marquee contest on the ballot: the mayoral race. And on Monday, The 51st, The Washington Informer, and Spotlight D.C. gave almost 300 voters at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library — and over 2,000 more watching online — the chance to hear directly from six candidates who have qualified for the ballot.
The forum — which focused on affordability, improving government service delivery, and relations between D.C. and the federal government — was respectful, but the candidates still pushed to draw sharp distinctions with their opponents.
That fight was clearest between frontrunners Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie, who diverged over who could better tackle the cost of housing, who would better stand up for D.C. residents amidst Republican interference, and whether the city should impose new taxes on certain businesses to fund social programs.
On housing, McDuffie said Lewis George was making “false promises” in saying she could build 72,000 units in five years; she responded by saying “the crisis is too big and too serious not to be ambitious.” McDuffie also said that Lewis George’s plans to increase some business taxes could “make it unaffordable to live in D.C.,” while she took aim at him for not supporting a bill she introduced that would further restrict cooperation between MPD and ICE.
But it wasn’t just a head-to-head matchup between Lewis George and McDuffie. Former councilmember Vincent Orange pitched himself as a responsible steward of the city’s money, and pledged to build 1,000 tiny homes as a means to address housing costs. Political newcomer Rini Sampath said she would focus on improving how the government delivers basic services, Gary Goodweather pledged to eliminate fares on Metro and cut the time it takes to get building and business permits, and DOGE’d federal employee Hope Solomon said she would make life easier for small local businesses.
Oh, and we also learned who thinks D.C. is “lit,” who drives and who rides the Metro, and where the candidates would go in town for the best views. You can watch the video below, and follow all of our election coverage here.
Martin is a longtime reporter and editor in D.C. He formerly worked for WAMU 88.5 and DCist.com, and has contributed to the Washington City Paper and other publications. He's been in D.C. for 25 years, and tries to ride his bike everywhere he can.
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