DC braces for another Trump presidency

What's CITY Talking About?

Local Election Results

There weren’t many competitive races on the ballot in D.C. this year, with all incumbents maintaining their seats. Still, turnout was high at about 61%.

• Ward 2: Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D) won reelection unopposed.
• Ward 4: Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D) won reelection unopposed.
• Ward 7: Democrat Wendell Felder won the Councilmember seat vacated by Vincent Gray.
• Ward 8: Councilmember Trayon White (D) won reelection despite being federally charged with bribery. The DC Council is considering removing him from office.
• D.C. Delegate: Eleanor Holmes Norton won reelection to the position she’s held since 1991.
• Shadow Roles: Ankit Jain will be D.C.’s new Shadow Senator, while Oye Owolewa held his position as Shadow Representative. (What is this job, you ask?)
• DC Council At-Large: Councilmember Robert White won reelection alongside independent candidate Christina Henderson.

Initiative 83 Passes

I-83 passed with 72% of the vote, meaning D.C. will adopt ranked choice voting and will open primaries up to D.C.’s 70,000 independent voters. The initiative was highly contentious and could reorder some of the largest races in local politics. Now, starts a two-year countdown for the Board of Elections and D.C. Council to figure out how to run and fund it all by the 2026 elections, and how to ensure Congress signs off on it.

Regional Results

Maryland Results

• Senate: Angela Alsobrooks (D) won the U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, beating out two-time Governor Larry Hogan (R). Alsobrooks will be the state's first Black senator.
• Maryland Ballot Question 1: 74% of Marylanders voted “yes” on ballot question 1, enshrining abortion access and reproductive freedom as rights in the state constitution.
• MoCo Ballot Question A: Montgomery County residents voted for an initiative to decrease the term limit for the county executive from three consecutive terms to two consecutive terms. That will prevent current County Executive Marc Elrich (D) from running for reelection in 2026.

Virginia Results

• Senate: Incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D) kept his seat against opponent Hung Cao (R) for the Virginia seat in the U.S. Senate.
• 7th District: Eugene Vindman (D) took the open seat in Virginia 7th District over Derrick Anderson (R).
• 10th District: Suhas Subramanyam (D) beat out Mike Clancy (R) in the race for Virginia's 10th Congressional District, which includes Loudoun County and parts of Prince William and Fairfax Counties.

Local Fallout

Harris Election Party

Kamala Harris returned to her alma mater Howard University last night to watch the votes roll in. She was joined by thousands of anxious but hopeful students and supporters, many of which waited hours to get in. Crowds dissipated and the mood shifted as the clock ticked past midnight and Trump’s lead grew. [The Washington Post 🔒]

Man Arrested At Capitol With Torch Lighter

D.C. police arrested a man yesterday who attempted to enter the Capitol Visitor Center with a torch lighter and a flare gun. MPD has been fully activated and buildings around the White House have been boarded up, all in preparation for potential fallout from the election. [WUSA9, City Cast DC 🎧]

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