2026 Washington, D.C., mayoral election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Washington, D.C., mayoral election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the mayor of Washington, D.C. Incumbent mayor Muriel Bowser is retiring after serving three consecutive four-year terms.[1] Primary elections were held on June 16, 2026 to select party nominees.[2]
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November 3, 2026
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The Democratic Party nominee has won every mayoral election in D.C. since the position was established as an electoral office in 1974. This will be the first D.C. election to use ranked-choice voting, after Initiative 83 was approved in a landslide victory in 2024.[3]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Yaida Ford, civil rights attorney[4] (write-in)[5]
- Gary Goodweather, real estate developer[6][5]
- Ernest Johnson, chairman and CEO of Friends of Frank Reeves Center and candidate for mayor in 2010 and 2018[7][5]
- Janeese Lewis George, councilmember from Ward 4 (2021–present)[8][5]
- Kenyan McDuffie, former councilmember from Ward 5 (2012–2023) and at-large councilmember (2023–2026)[9][5]
- Talib Karim Muhammad, attorney and engineer[10] (write-in)[5]
- Vincent Orange, former at-large councilmember (2011–2016) and councilmember from Ward 5 (1999–2007)[11][5]
- Rini Sampath, cybersecurity consultant[12][5]
- Melodie Shuler, attorney (write-in)[5]
- Hope Solomon, former federal government contractor[13][5]
Did not qualify
- Regan Jones, motivational speaker[14]
Declined
- Muriel Bowser, incumbent mayor (2015–present)[1]
- Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority[15]
- Karl Racine, former attorney general of the District of Columbia (2015–2023)[16] (endorsed Lewis George)[17]
- Robert White, at-large councilmember (2016–present) and candidate for mayor in 2022[18] (running for U.S. House, endorsed Lewis George)[19]
Endorsements
Gary Goodweather
Organizations
- DMV New Liberals (second choice)[20]
Janeese Lewis George
U.S. representatives
- Ilhan Omar, MN-05 (2019–present)[21]
Local officials
- Yvette Alexander, former councilmember from the 7th ward (2007–2017)[22]
- Charles Allen, councilmember from the 6th ward (2015–present)[23]
- Brianne Nadeau, councilmember from the 1st ward (2015–present)[24]
- Karl Racine, former attorney general of the District of Columbia (2015–2023)[17]
- Tommy Wells, former councilmember from the 6th ward (2007–2015) (candidate's campaign chair)[25]
- Robert White, councilmember from the at-large ward (2016–present)[19]
- Zachary Parker, councilmember from the 5th ward (2023–present)[26]
Labor unions
- 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East[27]
- AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council[27]
- Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689[28]
- American Federation of Government Employees[29]
- AFGE Local 2978[27]
- American Federation of Teachers Local 6[27]
- Committee of Interns and Residents[27]
- Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters[27]
- IAFF Local 36[30]
- IBEW Local 26[27]
- IUPAT District Council 51[27]
- LIUNA Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington Laborers' District Council[27]
- SEIU 32BJ[28]
- SEIU Local 500[27]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400[27]
- UNITE HERE Locals 23 and 25[28]
- UFCW Local 400[28]
- Washington Teachers Union[24]
Organizations
- Capital Stonewall Democrats[31]
- CASA in Action[32]
- Free DC[33]
- Greater Greater Washington[27]
- Jews United for Justice[34]
- Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America[35]
- Our Revolution D.C.[27]
- People for the American Way[27]
- Sierra Club[27]
Political parties
Newspapers
Kenyan McDuffie
Executive branch officials
- Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general (2009–2015)[30]
- Tom Perez, former U.S. secretary of labor (2013–2017) and chair of the Democratic National Committee (2017–2021)[38]
- Neera Tanden, former senior advisor to the president (2021–2025), director of the Domestic Policy Council (2023–2025), and White House staff secretary (2021–2023)[21]
U.S. senators
- Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. senator from Maryland (2025–present)[39]
Local officials
- Anita Bonds, council chair pro tempore (2026–present) from the at-large ward (2012–present)[26]
- Aisha Braveboy, county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland (2025–present)[23]
- Mary Cheh, former councilmember from the 3rd ward (2007–2023)[40]
- Linda Cropp, former council chair (1997–2007) from the at-large ward (1991–1997)[23]
- Charlene Drew Jarvis, former councilmember from the 4th ward (1979–2001)[23]
- Wendell Felder, councilmember from the 7th ward (2025–present)[20]
- Sharon Pratt, former mayor of Washington, D.C. (1991–1995)[41]
- Anthony Williams, former mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999–2007)[42]
- Party officials
- Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee (2021–2025)[43]
Organizations
- District of Columbia Association of Realtors[23]
- DMV New Liberals[44] (first choice)[20]
- Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors[23]
- Metro D.C. Associated Builders and Contractors[45]
- Restaurant Association of Greater Washington[46]
Newspapers
Rini Sampath
Organizations
- DMV New Liberals (third choice)[20]
Declined to endorse
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of January 31, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
| Janeese Lewis George (D) | $70,017 | $171,537 | $117,944 | |
| Gary Goodweather (D) | $302,091 | $82,368 | $225,609 | |
| Kenyan McDuffie (D) | $288,750 | $13,820 | $274,930 | |
| Tarib Muhammad (D) | $6,054 | $6,369 | $-316 | |
| Source: District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance[48] | ||||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Gary Goodweather |
Ernest Johnson |
Janeese Lewis George |
Kenyan McDuffie |
Vincent Orange |
Rini Sampath |
Hope Solomon |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Washington Post/George Mason University/Braun Research[49] | May 27 – June 1, 2026 | 836 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 3% | 1% | 36% | 25% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 2%[b] | 25% |
| City Cast DC/True Dot[50] | May 12–17, 2026 | 487 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 7% | 3% | 39%[c] | 34% | 5% | 4% | 2% | 6%[d] | – |
Republican primary
Statehood Green primary
Candidates
Presumptive nominee
Did not qualify
- Muhsin Umar[14]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC Statehood Green | Robert L. Gross | |||
| Write-in | ||||
| Total votes | 100.00 | |||
Independent and third party candidates
Candidates
Declared
Filed paperwork
- Charles Breedlove[51]
- Michael Arega, pastor (One Home Party)[51]
- Myrtle Alexander, businesswoman[51]
- Da’Moni Ivey[51]
- Nadeem Khan, Indian human rights activist[51]
- Robert Lee[51]
- James McMorris, ministerial president[51]
- Michael Poindexter, general counsel for the District of Columbia Contract Appeals Board[51]
- Rami Chalabi, architect[51]
- Darious Scott[51]
- Christopher Teague, cyber security director[51]
Declined
- Elissa Silverman, former at-large councilmember (2015–2023)[52]