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D.C. will have at least one new council member following this election cycle, and there are several other contested council races. Here’s what you need to know.
D.C. is guaranteed at least one new council member when the dust settles from this election cycle, and there are several other contested council races.
In Ward 7, longtime council member and former Mayor Vince Gray is stepping down, and a crowded field has emerged to fill his seat. In Wards 4 and 8, challengers are aiming to take down incumbent council members. And At-large council member Robert White also faces a challenger who’s no stranger to running for elected office in D.C.
For information on how to vote and what else is on the ballot during Tuesday’s D.C. Primary Election, check out WTOP’s D.C. primary voter guide. Here’s what to know about all the Democratic D.C. Council candidates:
Ward 4
Ward 4 covers the northern tip of D.C., stretching as far west as the intersection Western Avenue and Broad Branch Road and as far east as the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Kennedy Street. The ward’s southern end is home to the Petworth and Crestwood neighborhoods. Ward 4 also includes much of Rock Creek Park.
Democrat Janeese Lewis George was elected to her first term as Ward 4 council member in 2020, beating out incumbent Brandon Todd with 54.14% to Todd’s 43.62% in the Democratic Primary.
Public safety has emerged as a top concern in this year’s race as both of George’s challengers bring the issue to the forefront, saying not enough is being done to hear the concerns of residents and keep them safe.
*The following candidate information comes in part from responses during a candidate forum hosted by the Ward 4 Democrats of Washington, D.C.
Janeese Lewis George (Incumbent)
Janeese Lewis George is a third-generation Washingtonian who was born and raised in Ward 4. George has served as an assistant attorney general in D.C. and as assistant general counsel in the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education. She was first elected to represent Ward 4 on the D.C. Council in 2020.
“Four years ago when you came to me, you said you wanted a council member who would deliver, that was going to use every tool they had, from budget to oversight to constituent services and legislation to deliver for residents — and I did just that.”
“I remember the call 16th Street Heights had for an all-electric bus barn and I delivered on it. I remember the call Shepherd Park asked me to fight for their library and their school boundary and I delivered on it … And so I’m a person who delivers, who delivers for every neighborhood, who delivers for every community, and delivers for every Ward 4 resident and that’s what I plan to continue to do for the next four years.”
George came under fire from both her challenger Lisa Gore regarding both public safety and not working closely enough with her constituents, to which George responded by acknowledging public safety is “undoubtedly” the No. 1 issue D.C. faces.
“I am the only council member and the only candidate who has ever been a prosecutor who’s actually prosecuted crimes in the District.”
She said she’s implemented a three-pronged approach to crime in Ward 4 that includes intervention work, prevention work and enforcement work. In regards to prevention, George cited her funding of an academy in Ward 4 schools to make sure young people are not being recruited at young ages to gangs.
George also said she has been able to directly work in securing cease-fires “between crews who were shooting back and forth,” and wrote a last-minute budget amendment to secure additional cameras for D.C. police’s Fourth District Station.
Lisa Gore brings a 27 years of experience in law enforcement, serving as a juvenile probation officer in D.C., a federal special agent investigating smuggling schemes in Puerto Rico and a special agent with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She’s also a two-term Advisory Neighborhood Commission Commissioner.
“I stand before you not just as a candidate but as an unwavering, committed public servant. I am concerned about the safety of our community. With my background and experience I understand this challenge firsthand and I believe that I have the solutions to the issues that we deserve in Ward 4.”
Gore directly challenged George’s record on public safety, which she called the “No. 1 issue” that her campaign is concerned with.
“We have a council member that looks to criminals and protects the criminal element more so than the public. She voted against the emergency crime legislation from the summer, which was very shocking. I think the reason was pretrial detention.”
Gore also pointed out that George was the lone council member to vote against a 2021 bill that allowed landlords to evict tenants deemed a public safety threat to their neighborhood.
“We have to make sure that our lens is from a public service lens and that is from a lens of community members that are living here in the community and deserve to live safely and that the legislation they propose should strengthen those aspects.”
Paul Johnson has lived in D.C. for 15 years, and in Ward 7 for seven years. He’s served as an executive committee member of the Fourth District Citizens Advisory Commission, an ANC Commissioner for Petworth and a D.C. Democratic Ward 4 Committeeman. Johnson has emphasized during his campaign strengthening public safety and drug intervention efforts.
“I am running because I am deeply concerned about the state of the ward and the state of the District and concerned about the future.”
Johnson has focused during his campaign on working directly with residents in Ward 4, something he said isn’t happening enough.
“With public safety, it’s ultimately a community problem and in order to empower the community to solve the problem you have to be available with the community and understand, give them reason to participate.”
Johnson referred to George’s remarks about delivering on public safety as “nice rhetoric,” but that her actions haven’t made a difference on the streets of Ward 4.
“If you go on Kennedy Street, as I do, you will not hear those testimonies.”
He said the messaging over the past few years on crime has been too soft, which is reflected in George’s voting record.
“You also have to message properly about violent crime not being acceptable. It’s one thing to say it’s being prosecuted now, but that hasn’t been the messaging over the past three or four years. When there are provisions to secure or stem a crime crisis, like the masking provision, you need to not weaken the crime bill and put forth a masking provision.”
Ward 7
Ward 7 covers the eastern corner of D.C. and its residents largely live east of the Anacostia River, though the ward does stretch over the river covering much of the Kingman Park and Hill East neighborhoods on the river’s west bank.
Democratic council member and former Mayor Vincent Gray has represented Ward 7 on the D.C. Council since 2017 and also held the seat from 2005 to 2011. In late 2023, Gray said he would not run for reelection, and the longtime D.C. politician has suffered two strokes since 2021, making it difficult for him to participate in council debates.
Gray’s decision has opened the door to a crowded field of 10 Democratic candidates who are vying to fill the vacancy. Here’s what they’re telling voters they will bring to the council.
*The following candidate information comes in part from responses during a candidate forum hosted by George Washington University and several community organizations
Wendell Felder brings experience working in the executive office of the mayor and serving in other community leadership positions in Ward 7 over the past decade.
“As your next Ward 7 council member, my biggest priorities are public safety — making sure our families are safe. Economic development, we should not have to go to Maryland or Virginia to have access to sit-down restaurants, grocery stores and neighborhood-serving amenities. Investing in improving our neighborhood schools, no family should have to drive 45 minutes each way as well.”
Denise Reed has worked in the office of three different D.C. Council chairmen and has served as chief of staff for former Ward 7 council member Kevin Chavous. She also brings 16 years of experience working in the federal government.
“I know the government well, I know the Wilson Building well. I think I can do more for Ward 7 than anyone can imagine.”
Ebony Payne serves as an ANC Commissioner for Kingman Park, where she grew up as a third-generation Washingtonian.
As a domestic violence survivor, Payne emphasized the importance of protecting D.C.’s young people and ensuring the city is providing enough mental health resources. She brings a health and wellness background, having operated a massage therapy practice in D.C. for 10 years before becoming an herbalist and making herbal loose leaf teas.
“I’m very much looking forward to solving Ward 7’s food deserts and improving the health outcomes of our residents.”
Villareal “VJ” Johnson II has served as a Marshall Heights Community Development Organization board member, ANC Commissioner and Chair to the President of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association and Washington East Foundation board treasurer.
“Our motto and our mission is to make Ward 7 one by building bridges and connecting people to what they need. I have the longest track record of serving Ward 7 and making government work for you. … What you can expect from me as a council member is that I will be engaging, responsive and accountable, just like I am on this campaign.”
Nate Fleming is a graduate of Morehouse College and received a full scholarship to both attend law school at UC Berkley and study government at Harvard University. He recently received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
“But I believe that when you get opportunities like that, you have an obligation to come back to your community and create opportunities for other people, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Fleming was elected to be D.C.’s shadow representative to Congress in his 20s. He’s also served as a legislative and committee director for the D.C. Council.
Kelvin Brown received a presidential scholarship to attend Alabama State University, becoming the first person in his family to graduate college and brings 10 years of experience in the military, having been deployed on three tours of duty.
“But then I got back. I realized that the real front lines were right here in our classrooms, and so I became a schoolteacher. I taught for five years.”
Brown also serves as an ANC Commissioner and advocates for affordable housing in D.C.
Roscoe Grant Jr. is a 53-year resident of D.C. and has resided in Ward 7 for 41 years. He’s served as an ANC Commissioner and as Union President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 631. He’s also organized on a national scale for workers rights through several unions.
“Some years ago, when I was an ANC commissioner, we were fighting for the O Street Wall, and as a result of the fight I was able to secure $3.5 million from President Bill Clinton to rebuild that wall. So, this is the kind of leadership I’m going to provide in Ward 7.”
Grant emphasized housing as a priority of his campaign, including bolstering the Home Purchase Assistance Program’s benefit to Ward 7 residents.
Ebbon A. Allen is a second-generation Ward 7 native and has served as an ANC Commissioner for four years.
“My goal and my vision is to make Ward 7 inclusive. We have a brand new increase of Latino population coming to Ward 7. For public safety, I came up with Public Safety Day for the Benning Park community. … Everybody in this particular ward wants safety and all of us are dealing with trauma. Let’s come up with some solutions, so we can tackle that trauma.
Veda Rasheed has served as the chair of the Ward 7 young Democrats, as a mayoral appointee and in the office of former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine.
“In 2020, if you would have asked me would I be running for elected office I would stand before you and say no. But I got a call when my kid was going to KIPP on Benning Road that a shooting had taken place there and I jumped immediately into action because I know when I’m sending my child to school I want them to be safe.”
Rasheed worked her way through law school in D.C. Superior Court in the criminal division while going to Catholic University.
Eboni-Rose Thompson represents Ward 7 on the D.C. State Board of Education.
“I’ve been very involved in our education issues because I work in spaces where people say to me regularly that no one is from D.C., and I’m really concerned, as a fifth-generation Washingtonian, that we have a next generation of Washingtonians who can stay here and thrive. For those reasons, I’m really concerned about housing. For those reasons, I’m really concerned about health. For those reasons, I’m really concerned about public safety, and for those reasons, I’m really concerned about economic development.”
Ward 8
Ward 8 covers the southern tip of D.C. east of the Anacostia River, but does stretch over the river to include most of Navy Yard under the city’s most recent redistricting.
Democrat Trayon White Sr. was first elected to represent Ward 8 in 2016, beating out incumbent LaRuby May with 51% of the vote compared to May’s 43% in the Democratic Primary. In 2020, White was reelected, capturing nearly 59% of the vote in the primary election. His next closest contender received just over 26% of the vote.
*The following candidate information comes in part from responses during a candidate forum posted by Living Word Church D.C., in which Republican candidate Nate Derenge also participated. He is running uncontested during the primary and will face the winner of the Democratic primary, the candidates in which are covered below.
Trayon White Sr. (Incumbent)
Trayon White is a D.C. native who, before being first elected to the council in 2016, founded multiple community programs and nonprofits including Bold Brothas for Christ, which provided spiritual support to young men in college, Helping Inner City Kids Succeed, Inc., which provides youth engagement and prevention activities in Ward 8, and Manpower D.C., which serves as an organization that provides leadership training to young men in Ward 8.
White, who voted “present” on a sweeping anti-crime bill in March, emphasized his community-based and public health approach to public safety, criticizing the fact the bill opened to door for “drug-free zones” to be established by D.C. police.
“There’s no way we’re talking about a drug-free zone, and not talking about ways to deal with mental health services, substance abuse services, job creation, family engagement. Those type of things that are existing in the government but are not interacting with each other.”
White highlighted his support of the NEAR Act introduced by Council member Kenyan McDuffie before he was elected to the council.
“So, as a council member I got alongside him to ensure we were able to introduce … a public health approach to addressing public safety and that doesn’t mean locking everybody up, because some people need to go to jail, yes, absolutely. But some people need services and when we don’t provide those services, we’re in the state that we’re in now, which is a crisis when it comes to public safety.”
Rahman Branch served as the principal of Ballou High School for nearly a decade and was appointed to the mayor’s cabinet as D.C.’s first executive director of African American American affairs.
When it comes to addressing the issues Ward 8 is facing, Branch said his experience as a principal translates.
“A lot of this work is actually something I’ve done as a principal of Ballou High School. In recognizing that, we want to make sure young people are able to come to school and soak up a quality education, we realized that there were lots of determinants, social determinants, that had to be addressed in the home to stabilize that home so young people can show up as best they can and receive support and instruction.”
Branch said during his time at Ballou, the school partnered with nonprofits and with government organizations to conduct violence interruption and start a food pantry at the school.
He was also involved in securing a new Ballou High School building, which came at a cost of more than $100 million.
“As we built our new building, that $147 million, brand-new building that we wrestled from council’s budget, we made sure that we had agencies within that space. We have a community health center that has exposure to the public when schools close.”
Salim Adofo is a tenant organizer and served as ANC Commissioner in Congress Heights. He also established the Ward 8 STEM Academy, which educates elementary and middle school students in the ward on the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
His experience working with kids in that field translates to his philosophy on developing Ward 8.
“There’s a master plan for St. Elizabeth’s campus, what does that look like to make sure that the people who live here can participate in the growth and the development of the economy here? So as we develop plans to build up the ward, we also have to develop plans to build up the people who live here in the ward so they can participate in that economy. We have to make sure that we develop the skill set, the plumbers, the electricians, the carpenters. But we also have to make sure we develop the engineers, the people who can understand how to put these things together.”
Along with his goal of having economic development in the ward driven by Ward 8 residents themselves, comes education initiatives as well.
“We also have to develop the people who even understand what it means to build up the economy and we have to make sure that we’re investing in our high schools, whether they’re public or charter schools, to get people to understand entrepreneurship and invest in their own communities.”
At-large
At-large members of the D.C. Council represent the city as a whole, rather than representing one particular ward. There are four at-large seats on the council, one of which is up for grabs this election cycle. The seat is that of council member Robert White.
White was initially appointed to the seat in 2016, after then-D.C. Council member Vincent Orange stepped down. White won the seat months later in that fall’s election and was easily reelected in 2020, facing no challenger in the Democratic primary.
*The winner between the two below Democratic candidates will square off against Statehood Green Party candidate Darryl Moch, who’s running unopposed in the primary.
Robert White (Incumbent)
Robert White resides in Ward 4 and has experience as a public servant in D.C. working in both federal and local government. He’s served as legislative counsel to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, as director of community outreach in the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and on the D.C. Council.
In D.C.’s 2022 election, White challenged Mayor Muriel Bowser, gathering 40.6% of the vote to Bowser’s 49.2%.
Rodney “Red” Grant is an entertainer and comedian turned politician who comes from Ward 7. He’s started the filmmaking program “Don’t Shoot Guns, Shoot Cameras” and nonprofit organization “Beyond Your Block,” which works to empower young people in the D.C. area.
Like White, Grant also made a run at the mayorship in 2022, but as an independent candidate. He lost in the November general election to Bowser, capturing 15.5% of the vote to Bowser’s 77.2%.
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