Congressional Democrats Are Checked Out of D.C.’s Mayoral Race

Spend time online and it’s not hard to find prominent names in the Democratic Party’s establishment circling the wagons around Kenyan McDuffie, the more moderate candidate in the mayoral race for Washington, D.C.

In the weeks ahead of the June 16 Democratic primary, Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama, as well as former Democratic National Committee chairs Tom Perez and Jaime Harrison endorsed McDuffie. Neera Tanden, a prominent former Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton adviser, also backed him.

They’re citing fears that President Donald Trump would take over the city if progressive candidate Janeese Lewis George wins, something he has threatened to do.

Yet, in Congress, the Democrats who have leverage over preserving D.C.’s autonomy seem largely checked out of the mayoral fight, including several from the district’s neighboring states.

“I’m seeing all their ads, but I don’t really know anything about it,” said Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland) is the only member of Congress to make an official endorsement in the race. She backed McDuffie out of personal connections.

“I don’t know the other candidates in the race, but I do know Kenyan, and I’ve had a longstanding relationship with him,” she told NOTUS.

The other Democratic senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, does not have plans to endorse in the race, his campaign told NOTUS.

The Democratic primary for D.C.’s mayorship is testing the party’s approach to Trump. As national Democratic Party operatives argue that voters should elect McDuffie so the Trump administration does not have more reason to intervene with local affairs, Lewis George’s camp says she’s the kind of fighter D.C. needs to aggressively stand up to Trump.

Beyond that, the race could also inform how a diverse, strongly Democratic electorate is feeling about hot button issues from immigration enforcement to housing to crime.

But while some establishment voices are weighing in, national progressive leaders have been more muted, and most federal lawmakers haven’t weighed in at all. Undoing D.C.’s home rule, the law that gives D.C. autonomy over its local government, would take an act of Congress. Democrats in Congress don’t sound that concerned.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) said the Congressional Progressive Caucus was not endorsing in this race. Though, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), deputy chair of the caucus, said Lewis George would be her pick in the race.

“I do believe it is really important for D.C. to elect a really strong mayor that will stand up to this administration,” she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), who both endorsed and campaigned with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, told NOTUS that they did not have a favored candidate for D.C. mayor.

One Democratic strategist who lives in D.C., granted anonymity to speak candidly about the race, said she’s observed other national Democratic operatives to be uninformed and unsure who to vote for.

“I’m very aware, at a very personal level, of how insane that is for people whose jobs are all about informing voters,” the strategist said. “I think this election, like many local elections, is an example of basically the highest level Democratic operatives turning into uninformed voters when it comes to local races.”

Political operatives who try to persuade undecided voters in swing districts across the country are now “in their shoes in a very literal way,” the strategist said.

Strategists told NOTUS that the fractured media market in D.C. means they are not seeing as much coverage or reliable information about the race, leading to even the most politically engaged people tuning out of the race.

Some specifically mentioned the layoffs in the local section of The Washington Post.

“I don’t even know how to reach my ANC rep,” the strategist said. “I could figure it out, but that’s not a thing that I’m used to, whereas, calling Congress, I’ve had that muscle since 2008.”

Many Democratic operatives have tuned into the race late, said Ashley Schapitl, who worked for the Treasury Department under Biden and for Democrats in the House and Senate. She’s also been a vocal proponent of McDuffie online.

Schapitl, who also serves on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Hill East, said that Trump and congressional Republicans’ scrutiny of D.C. raises the stakes.

“It’s really important that people who work in national politics pay attention to the mayor’s race, particularly because, as we’ve seen, there are a lot of opportunities for congressional Republicans to try to make an example out of the district, and so the district being governed well is very important,” she said.

It’s not unusual for Democratic members of Congress to be tuned out of local D.C. politics — especially as part-time residents who serve constituents not impacted by D.C.’s mayoral race.

It doesn’t bother Sen. Ankit Jain, D.C.’s shadow senator, who said he’s fighting for Congress to have less involvement in D.C. affairs.

Plus, D.C. isn’t the same bellwether for the party that many made the mayoral races in New York City or Los Angeles to be, he said.

“There feels like maybe a little bit less urgency for the party as a whole around who wins between two most favored candidates,” he said.

D.C. may be no New York, but it is ground zero for the president’s agenda.

Trump has taken an outsized interest in reshaping the nation’s capital. He continues to deploy National Guard troops to the city. He has rid its Smithsonian museums of “woke” ideology. He orchestrated the mass firing of federal employees and continues to weaken their rights. He’s also undertaken several infrastructure projects like painting the reflecting pool blue and coating horse statues in gold.

Among operatives, the strategist said concerns around D.C.’s home rule was a strong motivating factor.

“I have heard individuals who are enthusiastic about Janeese,” they said. “I have not heard of a single individual in this group that is enthusiastic about Kenyan McDuffie, but a significant portion of this group is supporting him singularly because of this issue [home rule].”

Those concerns didn’t seem to be reaching Democrats in Congress, however — at least not enough to start paying closer attention.

“I honestly don’t,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Oregon) when asked if she had a favorite in the race. “Your story probably raises a light that we probably should be more engaged in it. I just haven’t really been following it.”

“I hope the best one wins,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois), chair of the New Democrat Coalition.