2018 Washington, D.C., mayoral election explained

On November 6, 2018, Washington, D.C., held an election for its mayor. Incumbent Democrat Muriel Bowser won re-election, becoming the first Mayor to do so for Washington, D.C., since Anthony A. Williams won a second term in 2002.

In the first 80 days of her re-election campaign, Bowser raised about $1.4 million for her campaign fund.^[1] She had no serious challengers in the primary, with only some little-known candidates filing to run against her. Bowser won the June 19 primary with 80% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Muriel Bowser, incumbent Mayor^[2]
• James Butler, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 5^{[3] [4]}
• Ernest E. Johnson, real estate professional, unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2010 and for D.C. Council in 2014^{[5] [4]}

Declined

• Vincent C. Gray, Ward 7 D.C. Councillor and former Mayor^[6]
• Karl Racine, Attorney General of the District of Columbia^[7]

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

• Martin Moulton

Results

Green primary

Candidates

Declared

• Ann C. Wilcox, Former Ward 2 DC Board of Education member from 1994 to 1998

Results

Independents

Candidates

Declared

• Dustin "DC" Canter^[8]

Notes and References

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/bowser-raises-14-million-in-first-80-days-of-re-election-campaign/2017/12/12/78bd1452-df5e-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html Bowser raises $1.4 million in first 80 days of reelection campaign
2. News: D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announces reelection bid. The Washington Post. Jamison. Peter. September 22, 2017. September 23, 2017.
3. News: A student, a homeless man and an ex-lawyer: Who says D.C. mayor has no election challengers?. The Washington Post. March 11, 2018.
4. https://wamu.org/story/18/06/14/meet-two-people-challenging-d-c-mayor-muriel-bowser-next-weeks-democratic-primary/ Meet The Two People Challenging D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser In Next Week’s Democratic Primary
5. https://efiling.ocf.dc.gov/ActiveCandidates Active Candidates List
6. Jamison, Peter, It’s official: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has no serious primary challengers, Washington Post (March 22, 2018)
7. Jamison, Peter, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine will not enter mayor's race, Washington Post (September 11, 2017): "D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D) announced Friday that he will run for reelection to his current seat, putting an end to widespread speculation that he might challenge Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) in 2018."
8. https://dcboe.org/getattachment/Candidates/2018-Elections-(2)/List-of-Candidates-in-the-November-6-2018-Election-8-30-2018-(1).pdf.aspx?lang=en-US District of Columbia Board of Elections List of Candidates in the November 6, 2018 General Election