2026 Washington, D.C., mayoral election
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November 3, 2026
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| Elections in the District of Columbia |
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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 will be held on June 16, 2026 to select party nominees.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Gary Goodweather, real estate developer[3]
- Janeese Lewis George, councilmember from Ward 4 (2021–present)[4]
- Kenyan McDuffie, former councilmember from Ward 5 (2012–2023) and at-large councilmember (2023–2026)[5]
- Talib Karim Muhammad, attorney and engineer[6]
- Yaida Ford, civil rights attorney[7]
- Vincent Orange, former at-large councilmember (2011–2016) and councilmember from Ward 5 (1999–2007)[8]
Filed paperwork
Publicly expressed interest
- Ivan Cloyd, real estate developer[10]
Potential
- Erin Palmer, former ANC 4B02 commissioner and candidate for DC Council chair in 2022[11]
- Karl Racine, former Attorney General of the District of Columbia (2015-2023)[12]
Declined
- Muriel Bowser, incumbent mayor (2015–present)[1]
- Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority[13]
- Robert White, at-large councilmember (2016–present) and candidate for mayor in 2022 (running for U.S. House)[14]
Endorsements
Janeese Lewis George
- Local officials
- Brianne Nadeau, councilmember from the 1st ward (2015–present)[15]
- Tommy Wells, former councilmember from the 6th ward (2007–2015) (candidate's campaign chair)[16]
- Labor unions
- Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689[17]
- SEIU 32BJ[17]
- UNITE HERE Locals 23 and 25[17]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400[17]
- Washington Teachers Union[15]
- Organizations
- Political parties
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[21] | ||||
Independents
Candidates
Filed paperwork
- James McMorris[9]
- Rhonda Hamilton, business owner[9]
- Christopher Teague[9]
- Nadeem Adam Khan, engineer[9]
Declined
- Elissa Silverman, former at-large councilmember (2015–2023)[11]
Notes
References
- ^ a b Flynn, Meagan; O'Connell, Jonathan; Gathright, Jenny (November 25, 2025). "D.C. Mayor Bowser will not run for fourth term". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Elections", District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ^ Bell, Zoe (October 24, 2025). "DC Mayoral Candidate Seeks to Embody Tikkun Olam". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Gathright, Jenny (December 1, 2025). "D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George to run for mayor". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ^ Flynn, Meagan (January 14, 2026). "Kenyan McDuffie launches campaign for D.C. mayor". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ^ "Talib Karim Muhammad enters DC's Mayoral race". WUSA. December 23, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "Civil Rights Attorney Yaida Ford Announces Candidacy for Mayor of Washington, D.C." The National Law Review. January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ Gathright, Jenny (January 3, 2026). "Former D.C. Council member Vincent Orange running for mayor". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Active Candidates List". Office of Campaign Finance DC. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Mates, Thomas; Ashley, Phylicia (October 15, 2025). "DC mayor's race taking shape as councilmembers consider bid, Bowser mulls whether to run". WJLA. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Dil, Cuneyt (June 26, 2025). "D.C. progressives want their own Zohran Mamdani vs. Mayor Bowser". Axios. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
- ^ Allen, Ike (February 3, 2026). "DC Politics Is About to Get Wild". Washingtonian. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ Dil, Cuneyt (January 30, 2026). "Scoop: No, Randy Clarke will not run for D.C. mayor". Axios. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Wu, Nicholas; Fuchs, Hailey (September 18, 2025). "Eleanor Holmes Norton is facing her most serious political threat in decades". Politico. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "In D.C. mayoral bid, Lewis George pledges universal child care, social housing". The Washington Post. January 15, 2026. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ "Councilmember Janeese Lewis George is running for DC mayor". The 51st. December 1, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Lewis George gains early momentum in D.C. mayoral bid with union support". The Washington Post. December 18, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ "Washington, DC". JUFJ Campaign Fund. November 25, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ @mdc_dsa (February 6, 2026). "Metro DC DSA is excited to announce that we have endorsed DC native, longtime chapter member, and two-term Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for DC Mayor and Shayla Adams-Stafford for reelection to Prince George's County Council, District 5!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 6, 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Working Families Party Endorsed Janeese Lewis George for Mayor and Robert White for Congress in Washington, D.C." Working Families Party. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Filer Reports". fairelections.ocf.dc..gov. District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites