DC Primary Election to Usher in New Era of Politics

Voters head to the polls today for the District's primary election to choose candidates for mayor and, for the first time in more than three decades, select a new delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is not seeking a fourth term, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is stepping down after 36 years in Congress. In a crowded field of candidates, the two frontrunners to succeed Bowser are Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie. Lewis George is a Ward 4 councilmember who was first elected in 2020 and has focused her campaign on affordability, housing, childcare, public education, and lowering costs for working families. McDuffie is a former At-Large councilmember who has campaigned on public safety, economic growth, job creation, and protecting DC's Home Rule.

This election will also mark the District's first use of ranked-choice voting. Under the new system, voters may rank up to five candidates in order of preference. First-choice votes are counted first. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed to voters' next-ranked choices. The process continues until one candidate earns a majority and is declared the winner.

In addition to the mayoral race, the ballot will include contests for attorney general and several DC Council seats.