2026 Council of the District of Columbia election

2026 Council of the District of Columbia election

←  2024 November 3, 2026 2028 →
7 of the 13 seats in the Council of the District of Columbia 7 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Phil Mendelson N/A Party Democratic Independent Seats before 11 2

The 2026 Council of the District of Columbia election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect seven members to the Council of the District of Columbia. Primary elections will take place on June 16. This will be the first Council election to use ranked-choice voting following the implementation of Initiative 83. ^[1]

Special elections

2025 Ward 8 special election

Main article: 2025 Council of the District of Columbia special election

A special election was held in Ward 8 on July 15, 2025 to fill the term of councilor Trayon White, after he was expelled from the council in February 2025. White was re-elected with 27.7% of the vote.

2026 At-large special election

Main article: 2026 Council of the District of Columbia special election

A special election will be held on June 16, 2026, to fill the term of councilor Kenyan McDuffie, after he resigned on January 5, 2026, to run for mayor. ^[2]

Chairperson

Incumbent Democratic chairperson Phil Mendelson was re-elected to a third term with 83.4% of the vote in 2022. Mendelson is running for a fifth term in 2026.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Phil Mendelson, incumbent chairperson (2012-present) ^{[3] [4]}
• Jack Evans, former councilmember from Ward 2 (1991-2020) ^[4]

Independents

Candidates

Potential

• Christina Henderson, at-large councilmember (2021-present) ^[3]

At-large district

Two at-large seats are up for election, the incumbents are Democrat Anita Bonds and independent Doni Crawford. Bonds is not running for re-election and Crawford— who was appointed in January 2026 to succeed Kenyan McDuffie, who is running for mayor— has not announced her intentions. ^[5] Only one at-large member can be a member of the majority party.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Greg Jackson Jr, former White House Special Assistant to President Joe Biden on Gun Violence Prevention, Ward 8 Resident and 2024 Walter Fauntroy Legacy Award Winner ^[6]
• Leniqua’dominique Jenkins, former council staffer ^[7]
• Candace Tiana Nelson, former chief of staff to councilmember Janeese Lewis George ^[7]
• Oye Owolewa, shadow congressperson from the District of Columbia's at-large congressional district (2021–present) ^[8]
• Lisa Raymond, former president of the District of Columbia State Board of Education ^[9]
• Kevin Chavous, staffer to Bonds and son of former councilmember Kevin P. Chavous ^{[10] [11]}
• Patricia Stamper, former ANC member for district 7C ^[9]
• Nate Fleming, former shadow congressperson, staffer for Councilor Trayon White, and candidate for the At-large council seat in 2022 and the Ward 7 seat in 2024 Council of the District of Columbia election ^[9]
• Dyana Forester, labor relations advisor to Maryland governor Wes Moore and former president of the Metro-Washington AFL-CIO ^[12]
• Addison Sarter, community activist ^[13]
• Eric Goulet, member of the District of Columbia State Board of Education from Ward 3 ^[14]

Declined

• Anita Bonds, incumbent councilmember ^[5]

Endorsements

Kevin Chavous

Local officials

• Anita Bonds, incumbent at-large councilmember (2012-present) ^[11]

Oye Owolewa

Local officials

• Brianne Nadeau, councilmember from the 1st ward (2015-present) ^[15]

Organizations

• Working Families Party ^[16]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of January 31, 2026
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Oye Owolewa (D)	$90,704	$32,036	$200,540
Candace Tiana Nelson (D)	$103,350	$33,077	$84,643
Kevin Chavous (D)	$24,529	$3,019	$21,508
Lisa Raymond (D)	$35,465	$6,425	$29,039
Dyana Forester (D)	$16,005	$374	$15,631
Leniqua’dominique Jenkins (D)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Source: District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance [17]

Independents

Candidates

Potential

• Doni Crawford, incumbent at-large councilmember (2026-present) ^[2]
• Elissa Silverman, former at-large councilmember (2015-2023) and candidate for the at-large seat special election ^[9]

Declined

• Kenyan McDuffie, former at-large councilmember and Ward 5 councilmember ^[7] (running for mayor) ^[18]

Ward 1

Incumbent Democrat Brianne Nadeau was re-elected to a third term in 2022 with 79.9% of the vote. She is not running for re-election. ^[19]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Rashida Brown, ANC member for district 1E ^[20]
• Miguel Trinidade Deramo, ANC member for district 1B ^[21]
• Terry Lynch, community activist ^[22]
• Aparna Raj, community organizer, former chair of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America ^[22]
• Jackie Reyes-Yanes, former director of the Mayor's Office of Community Affairs ^[23]

Potential

• Ed Lazere, former director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and candidate for council chair in 2018 ^[24]

Withdrew

• Brian Footer, ANC member for district 1E ^[25]

Declined

• Brianne Nadeau, incumbent councilmember ^[19] (endorsed Brown) ^[20]

Endorsements

Rashida Brown

Local Officials

• Brianne Nadeau, incumbent councilmember ^[20]

Community Organizations

• Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund ^[26]

Aparna Raj

Labor Unions

• Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 ^[22]
• American Federation of Government Employees Local 2725 ^{[27] [22]}
• American Federation of Government Employees Local 2978 ^[28]
• UNITE HERE Local 23 ^{[27] [22]}
• UNITE HERE Local 25 ^{[27] [22]}
• Washington Teachers Union (American Federation of Teachers) Local 6 ^[29]

Community Organizations

• DC Working Families Party ^[30]
• Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund ^[26]
• Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America ^[31]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of January 31, 2026
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Aparna Raj (D)	$268,259	$49,064	$219,437
Terry Lynch (D)	$60,672	$28,480	$32,191
Rashida Brown (D)	$28,856	$23,339	$5,516
Jackie Reyes-Yanes (D)	$92,250	$4,795	$87,455
Miguel Trinidade Deramo (D)	$11,553	$4,333	$7,219
Source: District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance [32]

Ward 3

Incumbent Democrat Matt Frumin was first elected in 2022 with 75.9% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Matt Frumin, incumbent councilmember ^[7]
• Adam Prinzo, ANC member for district 3C ^[33]

Declined

• Henry Cohen, Candidate for this seat in 2022
• Eric Goulet, State Board of Education member and candidate for this seat in 2022 (Running At-Large)

Ward 5

Incumbent Democrat Zachary Parker was first elected in 2022 with 93.9% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Potential

• Zachary Parker, incumbent councilmember ^[7]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jeffrey Kihien, businessman ^[7]

Ward 6

Incumbent Democrat Charles Allen was re-elected unopposed in 2022.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Charles Allen, incumbent councilmember ^[7]
• Michael Murphy, attorney ^[7]
• Gloria Nauden, business executive and marketing strategist ^[7]

References

1. Flynn, Meagen; Gathright, Jenny (July 14, 2025). "D.C. Council advances budget that softens cuts, funds ranked-choice voting". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
2. Gathright, Jenny (January 20, 2026). "D.C. Council selects McDuffie staffer to replace him". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 20, 2026.
3. Sherwood, Tom (December 6, 2025). "Anita Bonds Will Not Seek Reelection, Adding to the Already-Chaotic 2026 Campaign Season". Washington City Paper . Retrieved January 26, 2026.
4. Jenny, Gathright (January 27, 2025). "Jack Evans, who left D.C. Council amid scandal, to run for chairman". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 27, 2026.
5. Flynn, Meagen (December 9, 2025). "D.C.'s Anita Bonds won't run again, further shaking up 2026 elections". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
6. web|url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/02/02/the-must-read-melania-reviews-00759626}}
7. Austermuhle, Martin (November 20, 2025). "The state of the 2026 D.C. races (so far)". The 51st . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
8. Harrell, Princess (September 9, 2025). "Rep. Oye Owolewa launches bid to unseat DC Councilmember Anita Bonds in at-large race". WJLA. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
9. O'Gorek, Elizabeth (January 15, 2026). "Race is On For Two At-Large DC Council Seats". Hill Rag. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
10. Koma, Alex (November 26, 2025). "D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds might not run for reelection in a key citywide race". WAMU . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
11. Pusatory, Matt (January 14, 2026). "Kevin B. Chavous announces run for open At-Large seat on DC Council". WUSA (TV) . Retrieved January 26, 2026.
12. "Dyana Nicandria-Marie Forester / Dyana for DC". www.fairelections.ocf.dc.gov. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
13. "Addison Clement Sarter / Addison Sarter for DC". www.fairelections.ocf.dc.gov. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
14. Zach Israel [@ZachBIsrael] (January 30, 2026). "Looks like Ward 3 SBOE member @EJGoulet picked up papers today to run in the Democratic At-Large Councilmember primary" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
15. Dil, Cuneyt (January 15, 2026). "Trump era gives D.C.'s "shadow" reps new relevance". Axios . Retrieved January 26, 2026.
16. Alex Koma [@AlexKomaDC] (February 2, 2026). "New: @DCWFP is making endorsements in DC Council races, picking: @repoyedc for at-large" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
17. "Filer Reports". fairelections.ocf.dc..gov. District of Columbia Board of Elections . Retrieved January 24, 2025.
18. Dil, Cuneyt (January 15, 2026). "Scoop: Mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie touts 24-hour fundraising record". Axios . Retrieved January 24, 2026.
19. Pusatory, Matt (September 25, 2025). "DC Councilmember Brianne Nadeau will not seek reelection". WUSA . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
20. Collins, Sam P.K. (October 15, 2025). "With Nadeau's Endorsement, Rashida Brown Runs for Ward 1 D.C. Council Seat". The Washington Informer . Retrieved October 17, 2025.
21. Chibarro Jr., Lou (November 24, 2025). "Second gay candidate announces run for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat". The Washington Blade . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
22. Flynn, Meagen (September 25, 2025). "D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau will not seek reelection in Ward 1". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
23. Rincón, Fabianna (October 2, 2025). "Después de 20 años, un nuevo comienzo para Reyes-Yanes". El Tiempo Latino (in Spanish). Retrieved October 26, 2025.
24. Koma, Alex (December 5, 2025). "D.C. is poised to use ranked choice voting next year. It's already reshaping local races". WAMU (in Spanish). Retrieved January 29, 2025.
25. Chibarro Jr., Lou (December 17, 2025). "Brian Footer suspends campaign for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat". The Washington Blade . Retrieved February 1, 2026.
26. "In 2026, JUFJ Campaign Fund is Proud to Endorse". Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund . January 29, 2026. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
27. @aparnafordc (September 25, 2025). "Workers built DC and they make this city run. Today, we're proud to announce that 4 major unions representing workers in food service and hospitality, public transit, and DC government have endorsed our campaign: @UHLocal25, @unitehere23, @ATULocal689, and @AFGE2725_NEWS ✊🏽🥳" (Tweet). Retrieved January 26, 2026– via Twitter.
28. @aparnafordc (October 14, 2025). "AFGE Local 2978 members keep DC running. Their members are in DC's Department of Health and other vital agencies, ensuring that DC residents receive necessary city services. We're so proud and grateful to have their support for our campaign!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 26, 2026– via Twitter.
29. Tay, Akua (January 21, 2026). "WTU Endorses Aparna Raj For Ward 1 Councilmember". Washington Teachers Union . Retrieved January 26, 2026.
30. "Our Candidates". Working Families Party. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
31. "Metro DC DSA Announces First Round of 2026 Endorsements". Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America . January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
32. "Filer Reports". fairelections.ocf.dc.gov. District of Columbia Board of Elections . Retrieved February 3, 2026.
33. "Adam Joseph Prinzo / Adam Prinzo for Ward 3". www.fairelections.ocf.dc.gov. Retrieved January 24, 2026.