What to watch
- D.C. will elect its first new mayor in more than a decade after Muriel E. Bowser (D) declined to seek a fourth term. Democrat Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist and member of the D.C. Council, is expected to win in the deep-blue city.
- Voters also will choose a new delegate to the U.S. House to replace longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), who is retiring after more than 30 years as the District’s nonvoting representative.
Mayor
Lewis George is facing off against independent Rhonda Hamilton and Robert L. Gross of the D.C. Statehood Green Party in the race for mayor. Lewis George, who has represented Ward 4 on the D.C. Council since 2021, would become the first democratic socialist to lead the nation’s capital.
Delegate to the U.S. House
Robert C. White Jr., a former at-large member of the D.C. Council and a former Norton aide, faces Republican Denise Rosado and Kymone Freeman of the D.C. Statehood Green Party, to represent the District in Congress. The delegate does not have a vote on the House floor but can introduce bills, serve on committees and advocate for the District.
City Council
Four candidates are vying to fill two at-large seats on the D.C. Council, while seats in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6, as well as council chairman, also are on the ballot. Democrats are favored to win in the races.
Attorney general
Incumbent Brian Schwalb (D) is facing off against Manuel Rivera (R) in the race to become the District’s chief legal officer. Schwalb was first elected to the role in 2022.
U.S. shadow senator
Incumbent Paul Strauss (D), who has served as one of the District’s shadow senators since 1997, is running for reelection against Republican Robert Simmons. The post is largely ceremonial and advocates for D.C. statehood.
U.S. shadow representative
Democrat Franklin Garcia faces Republican Ciprian Ivanof in the open race to become D.C.’s shadow representative to the U.S. House. The role, like the District’s shadow senators, also advocates for statehood. The winner will succeed Oye Owolewa (D), who is running for the D.C. Council.
Ballot initiative
Initiative 86 asks voters whether the District should ban the sale or distribution of any product made using force-feeding of a bird, including foie gras. Supporters of the measure say the process amounts to animal cruelty.
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