The D.C. Delegate Race Is Already the Most Expensive on Record

The race to succeed retiring Washington, D.C., Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is already the most expensive on record, according to a NOTUS analysis of candidates’ new campaign finance reports filed ahead of the June 16 primary.

Candidates competing in the 2026 primary have collectively raised almost $3.3 million and spent more than $2.5 million as of May 27. Those figures surpass what D.C. delegate candidates have raised and spent during both the primary and general election phases of any previous election cycle, including 1990, when Norton, a Democrat, first won her seat.

That’s a lot of money for a job with relatively little power. While the D.C. delegate can sit on and vote in congressional committees and introduce and debate legislation — like any other representative — they can’t vote on matters before the full House.

Around three-quarters of registered D.C. voters are Democrats, according to Board of Elections data. (District voters recently passed a measure allowing registered independents to vote in partisan primaries, but the D.C. City Council declined to fund the change, meaning independents may only vote in general elections for now.)

That means that whoever wins the Democratic primary Tuesday is all but guaranteed to succeed Norton.

Money doesn’t always win elections. But it’s nice to have, especially in a heated primary.

Ward 2 D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto leads the fundraising pack. Her campaign reported raking in more than $1.5 million since she launched her campaign last fall. She loaned her campaign $90,000 of the more than $279,000 her campaign reported raising between April 1 and May 27.

Her campaign also since reported more than $16,500 in large-dollar contributions (more than $1,000) during the past few days. These include $3,500 from Richard Marriott, chairman of Host Hotels & Resorts, and $3,500 from the political action committee of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the company led by Ted Leonsis that owns the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics, among other sports teams and gaming and entertainment brands.

“The momentum we see on the ground every day talking to voters at their doors, at schools, and in every neighborhood across DC is reflected in the financial support from thousands of donors to our campaign who recognize that we need to send someone to Congress who will tackle our affordable housing crisis, ensure everyone in DC is safe, and protect our autonomy,” Pinto said in a written statement to NOTUS.

Pinto’s campaign has also spent more than $1.1 million as of May 27, making hers the first D.C. delegate campaign on record to spend and raise seven figures, according to a NOTUS analysis of Federal Election Commission data. Her campaign had almost $400,000 in cash on hand heading into the final days of the primary.

“Our positive vision for the city is resonating with people in all eight wards, while my opponent Robert White’s strategy of spreading negative, divisive lies about me is right out of the Donald Trump playbook and is not fooling voters,” Pinto said.

At-Large D.C. Council member Robert White’s campaign reported raising more than $269,000 between April 1 and May 27 — more than Pinto raised through the same period, excluding her loan.

“In our pre-primary FEC filing, we have outraised every other campaign with working-class Washingtonian donors while our opponents are relegated to dipping deep into their personal wealth,” Roger Limoges, senior adviser and spokesperson for the White campaign, wrote in a statement to NOTUS.

White’s campaign also reported raising more than $683,000 in total as of May 27 and reported an additional $28,000 in large-dollar contributions after that date, including $1,000 from the founder and managing partner of the D.C.-based venture capital firm Zeal Capital Partners.

His campaign also reported spending more than $587,000 as of May 27 — nearly half of what Pinto’s campaign spent, although White had a significant name recognition advantage early in the race.

His campaign had nearly $108,000 in cash on hand as of May 27, according to his latest report.

Limoges also pointed to White’s slate of endorsements, including those of Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina) and Maxwell Frost (D-Florida), the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts).

“People know Robert is prepared to lead in this historic moment,” Limoges wrote. “He is their candidate to carry forward the torch lit by Congresswoman Norton and maximize this seat for all Washingtonians.

Kinney Zalesne, whose resume includes stints as deputy national finance director of the Democratic National Committee and Justice Department counsel, initially reported raising around $9,500 since April 1. But Ian McDermott, Zalesne’s campaign manager, told NOTUS that there had been an “API issue,” and her campaign filed an amended report that says she raised $43,000 since April 1 for a total of nearly $796,000 as of May 27.

Even with the amendment, Zalesne’s fundraising lagged behind the frontrunners in the last few weeks. But her campaign spent a whopping$304,000 between April 1 and May 27, bringing her campaign’s total spending to $590,000.

“Fresh off Attorney General Eric Holder’s endorsement, our team is on track to knock 15,000 doors in the final two weeks—because this is a neighbor to neighbor campaign,” McDermott wrote in a statement. “DC residents are ready for a proven fighter who can stand up to this administration, and they’re putting both their feet and their dollars behind Kinney.”

While Pinto, White and Zalesne have raised and spent the vast majority of funds in the race, two other candidates — Greg Jaczko, former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Trent Holbrook, a former Norton staffer — are also in the mix.

Jaczko’s campaign raised almost $140,000 overall as of May 27, including $22,730 since April 1, according to his latest report, which shows he had spent around $124,000 and had around $16,000 in cash on hand. He told NOTUS he’s “running a lean campaign” and launched a text message campaign Thursday ahead of next week’s primary.

“The major texting effort will repeatedly reach a sizable portion of the voters, giving them direct access to my closing arguments video that speaks plainly about how to face our biggest problems,” Jaczko said in a statement to NOTUS. “Voters will ultimately decide based on the candidates’ experience, ability and ideas.”

He also said he believes ranked-choice voting — a new way of casting ballots in District elections — “gives D.C. voters a great chance to prevent campaign money from being the deciding factor in this race.”

Holbrook’s campaign raised around $64,000, with nearly half of that coming after April 1, according to his latest report. In a statement to NOTUS, he described himself as “someone who knows how to deliver for D.C.” and pointed to his eight years on the Hill working with Norton.

Holbrook believes the election “will not be bought” and that “D.C. residents are not voting based on who has the most millionaires giving to their campaigns.” He pointed to a recent City Cast poll that found around 3 in 10 voters in the race are undecided.

“I am very proud of the campaign that we have run and are continuing to run as we enter the homestretch of this election,” Holbrook wrote. “We have the momentum, we have the resources we need, and I am confident we are in position to win this race.”

Early voting in the race begins Monday.