DC’s Democratic Mayor Says She Won’t Seek Reelection

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will not seek reelection, concluding months of speculation about a potential fourth term. She provided an in-depth interview to News4 regarding her decision. Bowser stated that she made this decision for her family. In the interview, she said that now is the right time to pursue other opportunities while she still has plenty of energy, enthusiasm, and great ideas.

“It was time for me to pass the baton on to the next set of leaders who are going to take our city to the next level,” the mayor said in an interview with News4.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do – to walk away from a job I love. But I know we’ve accomplished the things I’ve set out to do,” Bowser said.

In a statement and video posted to social media on Tuesday, the mayor declared, “It has been the honor of my life to be your Mayor. Together, we have built a legacy of success of which I am intensely proud.”

“With a grateful heart, I am announcing that I will not seek a fourth term. For the next 12 months, let’s run through the tape and keep winning for DC,” her message concluded.

Bowser told the outlet she’s confident that if she wanted to run again, she’d win. “I’ve never lost an election,” she said.

The mayor has spent the past year attempting to navigate between the concerns of her constituents and the policies of the Trump administration, seeking to avoid a direct confrontation with the president, who has previously threatened to overturn the District’s Home Rule authority.

That effort has become more difficult amid the recent federal deployment of law enforcement personnel in the city.

“We started this month, this year with a new president who was an avowed critic of the District, and we had to reset that relationship,” Bowser said. “We started with a president that clearly had a plan to move fast, and one of his targets was the District. And we also have a Congress that has pretty much given him carte blanche to do it.

“I think starting with even the most recent elections where we had just a good turnout and great wins for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia and New York City,” she told the outlet. “This is going to be, the next 10 months are going to be different than the last 10 months.

“So, we see more of a check, more of a willingness to disagree with the president, so I think that bodes well for how the District and the president and the Congress will work together as we approach the midterms,” she added.

Per the Constitution, Congress has the authority to manage the District of Columbia, though since the founding of the nation, Congress has also ceded some of its authority, via the “Home Rule” legislation. But that could also be overturned at some point.

Asked if residents should worry that Trump may follow through on his threats under a different mayor, Bowser was diplomatic: “I believe that I am putting the District in the best possible place.”

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters, “Well, I got along with [Bowser] very well. I liked her. We worked together. D.C. is now a safe community.”

“I’ve heard from a lot of people that they love what I’m doing, they want me to run again, but they also understand that there aren’t that many four-term mayors,” Bowser added. “And certainly, I think I could be a four-term mayor, but I think most Washingtonians they don’t, they aren’t, they don’t kind of approach the future with fear of that. So, I think they are confident in their decision to select the right mayor.”