On November 8, 2022, a general election was held for the Council of the District of Columbia. Elections were held in four ward districts as well as for chairperson of the council and two at-large seats. Democrats remained in control of the council, electing six out of the seven positions that were on the ballot. Independent Kenyan McDuffin, formerly the Democratic councilperson for Ward 5, was also elected.
Electoral system
The council is composed of thirteen members, each elected by district residents to a four-year term. One member is elected from each of the district's eight wards. Four at-large members represent the district as a whole. The chairman of the council is likewise elected at an at-large basis. The terms of the at-large members are staggered so that two are elected every two years, and each D.C. resident may vote for two different at-large candidates in each general election.
According to the Home Rule Act, of the chair and the at-large members, a maximum of three may be affiliated with the majority political party. In the council's electoral history, of the elected members who were not affiliated with the majority party, most were elected as at-large members. In 2008 and 2012, Democrats such as David Grosso, Elissa Silverman, and Michael A. Brown changed their party affiliation to Independent when running for council.
To become a candidate for council an individual must be resident of the District of Columbia for at least one year prior to the general election, a registered voter, and hold no other public office for which compensation beyond expenses is received. Candidates running for a ward position must be a resident of that ward.
Summary
Democrats remained the largest party in the council, reelecting every incumbent running, and holding onto wards 3 and 5. Elissa Silverman (Independent, At-large) lost her seat to former Ward 5's councilman Kenyan McDuffie.
Incumbent Chairperson Phil Mendelson was re-elected for a third full term after defeating DC Statehood Green party candidate Darryl Moch and Republican candidate Nate Derenge. He was challenged in the Democratic primary by progressive Erin Palmer.[2]
2022 District of Columbia Chairperson of the Council Election
Elections for two at-large seats were held in 2022. Incumbent Democratic councilwoman Anita Bonds was re-elected after being the most voted candidate, while incumbent independent Elissa Silverman was defeated by independent Kenyan McDuffie, formerly a Democrat serving as councilman for ward 5, who came in second.
The first seat may be won by anyone from any party but the second seat is reserved for someone who is not affiliated with majority party. Bonds was challenged by three Democrats in the June 21 primary, all of whom criticized her role as chair of the council’s housing committee, but was renominated with 35% of the vote.[2]
2022 District of Columbia At-Large Councilperson Election
The Democrats easily swept elections in all four wards, securing more than three fourths of the vote in each. They recorded their worst result in Ward 3 with 75.88% of the vote, performing the weakest in Precinct 9, where they won just 57.02% of the vote. Conversely, the Democrats earned their best performance in Ward 6, where incumbent Charles Allen won 94% of the vote against write-in candidates. DC's tiny Republican Party earned the second places in Wards 3 and 5, while the even smaller Green Party contested Ward 1.[33]
Ward 1
2022 District of Columbia Ward 1 Councilperson Election
Incumbent Councilperson Mary Cheh initially signaled that she would run for reelection, but announced on February 11 that she was ending her campaign.[37] At the time of her announcement, Cheh had only two opponents, Brown and Nemeth. Within hours, Cheh's former campaign treasurer, Matt Frumin announced his candidacy.[37] In the following days, several more candidates announced bids for the now-open seat. Ultimately, nine candidates made the primary ballot. Receiving an endorsement from The Washington Post, Eric Goulet became the premier moderate candidate in the race and raised a significant amount of money from outside groups such as the DC Association of Realtors and Democrats for Education Reform. On June 13, spurred by massive outside spending from pro-charter school groups, Tricia Duncan withdrew her campaign and endorsed Matt Frumin. The following day, ANC Commissioner Ben Bergmann and student Henry Cohen withdrew their campaigns in support of Frumin.[38]
Following these developments, councilmembers George, Allen, and Silverman endorsed Frumin, leading to further consolidation.
Incumbent Councilperson Kenyan McDuffie announced in October 2021 that he would not be seeking election to the council. Instead, he opted to run to succeed retiring Karl Racine as Attorney General.[52] In early 2022, it was reported that Zachary Parker led his opponents in fundraising, with much of his money coming from notable DC progressives. His closest opponent, Faith Gibson Hubbard, had donors that overlapped with previous donors to the more moderate Mayor Bowser.[53] Parker won the primary election and was chosen as the democratic nominee. He went on to win the general election with more than 93% of the vote in the overwhelmingly Democratic ward.
2022 District of Columbia Ward 5 Councilperson Election
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^ abcde"List of Candidates As of May 11 - In Ballot Order" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrKoma, Alex (June 10, 2022). "City Paper Primary Prep: Will Incumbents Bonds, Mendelson, Nadeau Hang On?". Washington City Paper. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^Ryals, Mitch (September 27, 2021). "Erin Palmer Is Looking to Unseat D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^ abcdefghijklKain, Chris (December 6, 2021). "Who's lined up to run in the 2022 primaries?". The DC Line. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^"DFER D.C. Endorses Phil Mendelson for Council Chair in the June Primary". Democrats for Education Reform DC. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ abcdef"District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® 2022 Primary Election Endorsements" (PDF). District of Columbia Association of Realtors. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ abcdef"Metro Labor Council Releases Endorsements". Metro Washington Labor Council. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^"Sierra Club Endorses Phil Mendelson for DC Council Chairman". Sierra Club. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ abcdeWashington Post Editorial Board (May 6, 2022). "Opinion Here's who The Post endorses in D.C. Council primary elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ abcdefChibbaro Jr., Lou (May 18, 2022). "Capital Stonewall Democrats backs Robert White over Bowser". Washington Blade. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^"Our endorsement for DC Council Chair: Erin Palmer". Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ abcdef"WTU COPE 2022 Democractic Primary Recommendation on Endorsements". WTU Legislative Center. Washington Teachers' Union. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ abc"DC Working Families Party announces first slate of endorsements for upcoming primary elections". Working Families Party. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
^ abcdef"DC LATINO CAUCUS ANNOUCES [sic] PRIMARY ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS" (PDF). DC Latino Caucus. March 28, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ ab"2022 Primary Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^Barnes, Sophia; Swalec, Andrea (June 21, 2022). "DC Primary Election: Mayor, Council Races in Spotlight". WRC-TV.
^ abZauzmer Weil, Julie (October 11, 2021). "Two east-of-the-river candidates plan to run for at-large seat on D.C. Council, challenging Anita Bonds". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^ abZauzmer Weil, Julie (November 10, 2021). "Two more candidates join a crowded at-large D.C. Council race". Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
^ abcdefghiRyals, Mitch (June 10, 2021). "All Eyes on AG's Office and Ward 5 Council Seat A Year From the 2022 Democratic Primary". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Brice-Saddler, Michael (November 17, 2021). "Attorney Bradley Thomas will run for at-large seat on D.C. Council". Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
^ abcdefghiKoma, Alex (June 15, 2022). "In a Mailer, Anita Bonds Claimed An Endorsement from Someone Backing Her Opponent". Washington City Paper. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
^"Our endorsement for at-large DC Council: Lisa Gore". Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ ab"DC Now". Twitter. May 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^"Candidates in the November 8, 2022 General Election" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
^Gathright, Jenny (July 4, 2022). "Kenyan McDuffie Reboots Campaign, This Time For A D.C. Council Seat". Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
^ abZauzmer Weil, Julie (March 22, 2022). "Pro-business newcomer seeks to challenge Elissa Silverman on D.C. Council". Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ abWu, Daniel (September 29, 2022). "McDuffie, Silverman announce endorsements in at-large council race". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
^ abEditorial Board (October 3, 2022). "Here's who The Post endorses for D.C. Council and state education board". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ ab"Sierra Club Endorses Elissa Silverman and Matt Frumin for DC Council, Brian Schwalb for DC Attorney General". Sierra Club Washington D.C. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
^"General Election 2022 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
^Zauzmer Weil, Julie (December 2, 2021). "Sabel Harris challenging Brianne Nadeau for D.C. Council seat". Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
^ ab"Sierra Club Issues Early Endorsements for Environmental Champions Charles Allen & Brianne Nadeau". Sierra Club Washington D.C. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ ab"LGBTQ Victory Fund Endorses 37 More LGBTQ Candidates, Including Jamie McLeod-Skinner in Oregon". victoryfund.org. LGBTQ Victory Fund. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^ abcdefgDil, Cuneyt (February 11, 2022). "Veteran D.C. Council member Mary Cheh ends re-election bid". Axios. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
^ abcdAustermuhle, Martin (June 14, 2022). "D.C. Elections Roundup: The Ward 3 Race Gets A Bit Smaller". DCist. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ abcDil, Cuneyt (February 16, 2022). "Scoop: Two new candidates to enter D.C.'s Ward 3 Council race". Axios. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (February 24, 2022). "Seventh Democrat enters race for Ward 3 D.C. Council seat". Axios. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
^ abcdefghZauzmer Weil, Julie; Brice-Saddler, Michael (June 14, 2022) [June 13, 2022]. "Three candidates drop out of Ward 3 race, throwing support to Frumin". Washington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
^Brice-Saddler, Michael; Zauzmer Weil, Julie; Lazo, Luz (February 11, 2022). "Ward 3 council member Mary Cheh abruptly ends reelection bid". Washington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^Koma, Alex (March 24, 2022). "A High School Senior Wants to be the Next Ward 3 Councilmember. Meet Henry Cohen". Washington City Paper. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ abcZauzmer, Julie (June 13, 2022). "Two Ward 3 D.C. Council candidates drop out and back Matthew Frumin". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
^Chibbaro Jr., Lou (August 4, 2021). "Monika Nemeth to run for Ward 3 D.C. Council seat". Washington Blade. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Chibbaro Jr., Lou (April 27, 2022). "Ward 3 candidates express support for LGBTQ issues at Stonewall Dems forum". Washington Blade. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (May 23, 2022). "Mary Cheh endorses Ward 3 candidate Tricia Duncan as successor". Axios. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ abc"Endorsements". Matt Frumin for Ward 3. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (June 9, 2022). "Town Talker: Meet Eric Goulet, hard-charging budget boss running in D.C.'s Ward 3". Axios. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^"DFER D.C. Endorses Eric Goulet for Ward 3 Council in the June Primary". Democrats for Education Reform DC. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (October 7, 2021). "D.C. Council member McDuffie not running for re-election". Axios. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Koma, Alex (February 7, 2022). "In the Crowded Ward 5 Race, Gordon-Andrew Fletcher Turns to Local Seniors for Cash to Keep Pace". Washington City Paper. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
^ abcdAustermuhle, Austin. "DCision 2022: Here's Your Guide To The People Running For Office In D.C. (So Far)". DCist. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Wright, James (October 27, 2021). "Orange Seeks Return to Ward 5 Seat". The Washington Informer. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Brice-Saddler, Michael (January 18, 2022). "Harry Thomas Jr. drops out of Ward 5 council race, will run for shadow representative seat". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (December 10, 2021). "Candidates debate in hot Ward 5 D.C. Council race". Axios. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
^Wright Jr., James (May 2, 2022). "Ward 5 Council Hopefuls Duke It Out at Candidates Forum". The Washington Informer. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt. "D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and rival clash over future debates". Axios. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (March 16, 2022). "Town Talker: Council hopefuls seek votes of gentrifiers and natives". Axios. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
^ abBrice-Saddler, Michael (May 18, 2022). "Kenyan McDuffie endorses Faith Gibson Hubbard in Ward 5 Council race". Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^Wright, James (October 27, 2021). "Orange Seeks Return to Ward 5 Seat". The Washington Informer. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
^"Former At-Large Council Member John Ray Endorses Vincent Orange for Ward 5 Councilmember". Vincent Orange 2022. April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^"Metro D.C. DSA Endorses Zachary Parker for Ward 5 Councilmember in the 2022 D.C. Primaries". Metro DC DSA. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
^"Hospitality Workers Endorse Zachary Parker for Ward 5". Unite Here! Local 25. May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^Zauzmer Weil, Julie (May 12, 2022). "Janeese Lewis George endorses Zachary Parker for Ward 5 council seat". Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
^Austermuhle, Martin (May 12, 2022). "D.C. Elections Roundup: The Ballots Are Coming!". DCist. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
^Dil, Cuneyt (December 6, 2021). "Scoop: D.C. attorney general backs Zachary Parker for Ward 5". Axios Washington DC. Retrieved December 7, 2021.