A Changing of the Guard in the District: The Bowser and Norton Eras End Together in Tuesday's Vote
Mayor Muriel Bowser took office in 2015; Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has held her seat since 1991. Both step down in January, and Democratic nominees Janeese Lewis George and Robert White are slated to succeed them - the biggest turnover at the top of District government in a generation.
After years of consistent leadership in DC government, the city's highest offices are set for a changing of the guard in this week's elections, The GW Hatchet reported Monday. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who first assumed office in 2015, and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has held the District's House seat since 1991, are both stepping down this January. Their slated successors are the Democratic nominees: Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for mayor, and At-Large Councilmember Robert White for delegate. Public officials and advocates told the Hatchet residents are excited at the prospect of new, energetic leadership ready to defend the District's home rule.
Lewis George, who has served on the Council since 2021 and identifies as a democratic socialist, beat former Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie in June's primary on promises to lower the cost of living - universal affordable childcare, expanding rent stabilization and expanding free transit benefits. 'I think the people of D.C. want me to tackle the real issues that they're facing every day and understand those,' she told the Hatchet. 'That's why affordability has been so important to me.' Defending home rule is the other pillar: she said she would immediately rescind the Metropolitan Police Department's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while also building relationships in Congress and staying open to working with the Trump administration where it improves residents' lives. 'This moment is about people saying I want a government that puts me first, that centers me, that cares about me,' she said.
White's run is framed by the same fight from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. He bested Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto in the June primary and says he chose to run for Congress specifically because of President Donald Trump's threats to DC's autonomy - he likely would have run for mayor again, he said, had the administration's attacks on the city not changed his calculation. 'I believe the biggest battle for the future of D.C. for the foreseeable future is federal and not local,' White told the Hatchet. He previously worked in Norton's own office, and shadow Senator Paul Strauss cautioned that the nonvoting delegate's power grows with seniority - Norton climbed committee ranks over 35 years - while adding that White 'will bring some energy and enthusiasm to the position.' Former Councilmember Mary Cheh, now a GW law professor, noted seven council seats are also on the ballot and that the new mayor's first priorities are not yet obvious. White resigns his council seat Monday, under the 1970 law question this station has covered, clearing his eligibility for the delegate's office.
