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1 big thing: 🏘️ The Black homeownership gap

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2. Speaking of homeownership…

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3. ☀️ Hello, summer

4. Around the Beltway: ⚽ Soccer stars 

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📍 Situational awareness: After the Supreme Court struck down New York’s concealed carry gun law yesterday, D.C.’s attorney general is reviewing whether the District’s limits on concealed carry are affected.  

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1 big thing: Bowser wins

2. 🏛️ Progressives gain Council seats 

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3. Around the Beltway: New (old) Snyder scandal

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1 big thing: What D.C. looks like post-Roe

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1 big thing: 💉 Toddler vaccination sails along

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2. Town Talker: Tuesday’s other winners and losers

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🥴😂  Dancing don't: Justin Timberlake apologized to D.C. yesterday for his cringey "beat your feet" moment during the Something in the Water festival.

The Grammy Award winner promised to make it up to us — we'd simply ask that he bring sexy back.

For reference: Here's how the dance is supposed to look.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has won the Democratic primary, putting her on track for a third term to lead the nation’s capital.

Why it matters: The moderate Democrat becomes the first since “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry to win more than two mayoral races, besting challenges from the left after campaigning to hire more police officers to rein in rising crime and continue her investments in affordable housing.

In the deeply blue city, the Democratic nomination is tantamount to victory.

Bowser had received nearly 50% of the vote reported as of 11:44pm according to the D.C. Board of Elections, which had counted nearly 92,000 ballots at the time. The AP called the race for Bowser early in the evening.

At-large Council member Robert White stood at 38%. Ward 8 Council member Trayon White had nearly 10%. 

What they're saying: Bowser said the victory was a vindication for her leadership over schools, homelessness, and a blueprint for fighting crime with more police support. 

"Today, I stand in the footsteps of Marion Barry," Bowser told a cheering group of supporters at Franklin Hall bar in Northwest. 

Robert White congratulated Bowser on her win, telling reporters at his watch party that as a council member he is committed to working with the incumbent mayor, calling on her to "urgently" work toward a "comprehensive public safety plan."

The big picture: The city’s Democratic race mirrored the same nationwide divisions between moderates and progressives — especially when it came to tackling violence.

The District had witnessed 97 homicides by Election Day, up 15% from the same time last year, when killings hit an 18-year high.

Bowser supported increasing the police force to 4,000 officers, while both Robert White and Trayon White, who are unrelated, opposed the idea and said they would invest more in other crime intervention strategies and in funding for jobs.

Between the lines: The District has grown more prosperous since Bowser took office in 2015, with its budget growing 50% to $19.5 billion. And development has boomed, sprouting new blocks of apartments and office towers in trendy neighborhoods. 

That growth has come with rising rent and home prices. While the mayor has increased annual spending on affordable housing — above her original commitment of $100 million a year — data shows that the city has not followed through on its promise to spend half of the funds on homes for the city’s poorest residents.

Observers point out that the District has done relatively well — aside from crime — and Bowser has avoided groundbreaking crises that led to the downfall of previous District politicians.

Zoom out: Georgetown University history professor and city expert Maurice Jackson does not foresee a big change in leadership in a third Bowser term. 

Calling on Bowser for “more innovative ideas,” Jackson said the mayor must do more to “preserve the essence” of Black heritage and culture in Washington. Once known as “Chocolate City,” D.C. is now only 46% Black. 

“Does the city look better? Of course it looks better,” said Jackson, author of the forthcoming book, "Halfway to Freedom: The Struggles and Strivings of Black People in Washington, D.C." “Our neighborhoods look better. But what difference does it make if in those same neighborhoods those African Americans aren’t there?”

Chelsea Cirruzzo contributed to this report.

D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser wins Democratic primary, set for third term

Bowser bested two challengers running to her left amid a crime wave

Photo: Craig Hudson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Washington, D.C.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has won the Democratic primary, putting her on track for a third term to lead the nation’s capital.Why it matters: The moderate Democrat becomes the first since “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry to win more than two mayoral races, besting challenges from the left after campaigning to hire more police officers to rein in rising crime and continue her investments in affordable housing.

News

Politics

👋🏼 It’s Cuneyt here, with a special Town Talker column about the winners and losers in Tuesday’s Dem primary.

Come the end of her presumed third term, Mayor Bowser’s political network — led by ex-mayor Adrian Fenty before her — will have been in charge of the District for 16 out of the last 20 years.

That’s as close as you get to a dynasty in D.C. politics. A provincial cosmos of politicos, glad-handing hangers-on, developers, establishment business types, contractors who build the city’s schools and rec centers, and loyal aides — many of whom caught their first break under fast-charging Fenty — reign supreme over our hometown government. 

“The Green Team’s hold on the mayoralty is rivaled only by the legacy of Marion Barry,” says D.C. consultant Chuck Thies. 

Yes, but: That success hasn’t translated into electing allied lawmakers. “By no stretch of the imagination is it a powerful municipal political machine,” Thies adds. “It is a mayor-making machine.” 

Their legacy: The Green Team muscled through mayoral control of schools in 2007. It was an extraordinary reordering of education decision-making away from an elected, powerful school board to the mayoral suite. Herroner remains its top proponent.

Another major influence: their "build, baby, build" attitude to development, enabled both through laissez-faire economic instincts and Bowser’s public dollar affordable housing fund for builders.

And then there’s the almost obsessive focus on public facilities such as rec centers, born out of Fenty the triathlete and continued under the staid leadership of Bowser. Green Teamers proudly say the city’s centers trounce their suburban counterparts.

"We want to do things faster, better and for more people," Bowser said about the Green Team mantra at a press conference yesterday.

2. Elissa Silverman, At-large Council member

The progressive lawmaker is now a power broker, after working behind the scenes to elect progressive favorite Matt Frumin in Ward 3. 

How she did it: She polled the Ward 3 race, then went around talking about it. 

Even though she says she never shared the results with the three candidates who dropped out of the race late to endorse Frumin, the endgame was set. Centrist Eric Goulet had been expected to win. His rivals would need to coalesce behind Frumin for a victory. That’s exactly what happened.

Progressives had a clean sweep in ward-level races. Newcomers Frumin (who in Ward 3 reps Tenleytown, Cleveland Park, Palisades, and so forth) and Zachary Parker (whose Ward 5 includes Brookland, Ivy City, and Woodridge) will tilt the council further to the left, strengthening their voting bloc and posing challenges for the city’s top two centrists, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Bowser.

Brianne Nadeau defended her seat repping Columbia Heights, Petworth, and other Ward 1 neighborhoods, while colleague Charles Allen ran unopposed in Ward 6 (Capitol Hill, Southwest Waterfront, Union Market). 

The Washington Post’s poll on the mayoral race caused plenty of progressive bellyaching when it dropped in February. But it aged better than the internal poll Robert White’s campaign put out just before Election Day, which had claimed the contest was a statistical tie. 

Sure, the Post poll may have underestimated Robert White’s popularity. 

But it was right-on — within the margin of error — for Bowser, who took 50%.

D.C. Democrats for Education Reform’s campaign arm spent more than $1 million this cycle, and that’s not including the 11 days leading up to Election Day that are yet to be reported. But the deluge of well-funded mailers from the charter-friendly group failed to elect centrist Goulet in Ward 3.

The Post editorial board went 1-4 in council race endorsements this cycle. Phil Mendelson was the one pick who won. 

The grassroots may have powered through reformer lefties in ward races, but progressives lost in the mayoral race and in the D.C. Council at-large and chair contests. 

Pity the custodians who will clean all the litter of campaign signs. Reminder to campaigns: Signs need to be taken down no more than 30 days after an election!

💬 Don't miss this video of Bowser dancing to "Duffle Bag Boy"! Town Talker is a weekly column on local politics. Drop me a line about what your friends are chatting about: cuneyt@axios.com

Town Talker: The D.C. primary's other winners and losers

The other winners and losers from the Tuesday's D.C. Democratic primary.

Muriel Bowser amongst celebrating supporters

Photo: Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post via Getty Images

👋🏼 It’s Cuneyt here, with a special Town Talker column about the winners and losers in Tuesday’s Dem primary.<h5>The winners</h5>1. The Green TeamCome the end of her <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="presumed third term" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/06/22/muriel-bowser-wins-third-term-as-washington-dc-mayor" data-vars-content-id="aaeef113-9e9a-48a8-bc34-68252bd8cd06" data-vars-headline="Town Talker: The D.C. primary&#x27;s other winners and losers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/06/22/muriel-bowser-wins-third-term-as-washington-dc-mayor" target="_self">presumed third term</a>, Mayor Bowser’s political network — led by ex-mayor Adrian Fenty before her — will have been in charge of the District for 16 out of the last 20 years.

D.C. voters on Tuesday backed D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson over a left-leaning challenger. But progressives gained two other seats on the Council.

Why it matters: The victories for the progressive candidates are likely to pit the council against Mendelson and Mayor Bowser even more often than before. The latter two are typically seen as fiscal moderates in the Democratic city.

Top issues for the next council include tackling violence — where fault lines emerge over whether to increase policing or other interventions — and the District's full recovery from the pandemic. 

What's happening: Zachary Parker, who had support from left-leaning council members and groups, won the Ward 5 seat, dooming the political comeback hopes of former council member Vincent Orange.

In affluent Ward 3 progressive Matt Frumin has a lead over Eric Goulet. Over the past week, three candidates had dropped out of the race to support Frumin, who had nearly 38% of the vote over Goulet's 31%. 

The Board of Elections had counted nearly 92,000 votes by 11:45pm. 

What they're saying: Mendelson said in an interview he was ready to work with all the winners and said it's "premature to start speculating about what whether factions will develop."

Elsewhere, Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau defended her seat, fending off a spirited challenge from a more moderate political newcomer, Salah Czapary. Nadeau was on track for a third term after winning 47% of the vote. 

Outside Smitty’s on Georgia Avenue Tuesday night, Nadeau said she was hopeful that the Ward 3 and Ward 5 races would add more progressive voices to the council.

At-large Council member Anita Bonds leads in a four-person race with 38% of the vote. Lisa Gore and Nate Fleming trailed with both tied at around 27%.

Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen ran unopposed. 

The big picture: The most consequential position of council chair remained in Mendelson's control. 

Four years after he trounced a left-leaning candidate, Mendelson faced a more formidable opponent in advisory neighborhood commissioner Erin Palmer. Yet on Tuesday, Mendelson still commanded nearly 55% of the vote.

Progressives gain seats on D.C. Council

Top issues for the next council include tackling violence and the District's full recovery from the pandemic.

D.C. voters on Tuesday backed D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson over a left-leaning challenger. But progressives gained two other seats on the Council.Why it matters: The victories for the progressive candidates are likely to pit the council against Mendelson and Mayor Bowser even more often than before. The latter two are typically seen as fiscal moderates in the Democratic city.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s bid for a third term is in part a referendum on her affordable housing record. One project gone wrong highlights criticisms surrounding the public dollars spent on development over nearly eight years.

Last August, residents of an Anacostia condo project began abandoning the complex over fears of a collapse. The 46-unit project, built in 2017 on a hill on Talbert Street in Southeast, was financed with $6 million of the Bowser administration’s centerpiece affordable housing fund.

Upset homeowners took their plight to Bowser herself, confronting the mayor at a Brookland polling location after she cast her ballot last Thursday.

Why it matters: Leading up to today's election, Bowser has touted the hundreds of millions spent on affordable housing as outpacing other big cities. But her opponents running to her left, council members Robert White and Trayon White, have questioned the effectiveness of that spending in a wealthy city where Black residents continue to face displacement. 

An audit last year criticized her administration for not meeting a legal benchmark that half of the money go toward housing for the city’s lowest-earning households. 

Data: The Washington Post, D.C. Executive Office of the Mayor. Chart: Axios Visuals

What's happening: Residents say that shortly after moving into the complex, cracks began appearing on interior and exterior walls.  Then there was the smell of mold and sewage. By August 2021, an engineering firm said that the building was unsafe, leading residents to leave in droves. 

Since then, “we’ve gotten little to no results,” says Davina Callahan, 31, who cares for her 3-year-old daughter. 

A lawsuit filed against the District seeking damages in part under a consumer protection law was dismissed last year, and an appeal filed this year awaits a response from the District by July 1, said LaRuby May, the attorney on the case and a former Ward 8 council member whose sister is one of the homeowners.

May argues the District should be accountable. “The District had their hand in every single aspect of the project,” said May, referring to the city’s financing of the project, assistance throughout the homebuying process, and other planning and oversight. “When the project went wrong, they said, ‘Hey, no, we didn’t do it.’” 

An attorney who previously represented the developer, Stanton View Development, did not respond to an email from Axios seeking comment. Stanton filed for bankruptcy in March 2021, but the case was dismissed in February. 

The District did not respond to a request for comment.

What they're saying: The residents said the District offered to cover their leases elsewhere for 12 months, and some are more than halfway through that timeframe with no clear fix in sight.

Regina Haire, 64, bought her condo with hopes it would be her “last home,” to retire peacefully. She is recovering from a stroke that left her partially paralyzed and was drawn to the unit she purchased in June 2018 for its accessible shower. 

But Haire said she moved out last November, months after the engineer’s report and once the smell of mold became unbearable. 

What’s next: Theresa Brooks-Hill, 46, frustrated and still awaiting a sit-down with the mayor, held out until today to cast her ballot, still weighing her options. She said Ward 8 council member Trayon White had visited the site before.

They point out that many of the homeowners are just like the mayor — single Black mothers who are native Washingtonians. 

“My family, we supported her,” Haire said about voting for Bowser twice before, outside the condo complex. “I was walking around with her name on my shirt.” 

“And this is how she repays us,” Brooks-Hill chimed in.

Mayor Bowser's affordable housing record is under fire in third-term bid

A crumbling affordable condominium project in the District shows limits of mayor's affordable housing legacy.

Homeowner points to a crack in the brick facade of building

Homeowner Regina Haire, 64, shows a large crack in the Talbert Street SE condo building's facade. Photo: Cuneyt Dil/Axios

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s bid for a third term is in part a referendum on her affordable housing record. One project gone wrong highlights criticisms surrounding the public dollars spent on development over nearly eight years.Last August, residents of an Anacostia condo project began abandoning the complex over fears of a collapse. The 46-unit project, built in 2017 on a hill on Talbert Street in Southeast, was financed with $6 million of the Bowser administration’s centerpiece affordable housing fund.

Brian Schwalb prevailed in a three-man Democratic primary race for D.C. attorney general on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Schwalb is on track to succeed Karl Racine, who served two terms as the city’s first elected attorney general and built out a 600-person law department that took on Donald Trump, Big Tech, and other high-profile targets, and elevated D.C.'s profile nationally.

Schwalb had received 46% of the vote reported as of 11:44pm, according to the D.C. Board of Elections, while Bruce Spiva stood at nearly 36%. Ryan Jones had received close to 18%.

Racine had endorsed Schwalb and campaigned with him on Election Day.

What they’re saying: “Now, we will step forward to do the work that needs to be done. Because people are counting on us,” Schwalb said in a tweet. In the deeply blue city, the Democratic nomination is tantamount to victory.

Schwalb was most recently a partner at Venable, Racine’s former firm. 

Flashback: The AG’s race took a turn after Spiva succeeded in booting Ward 5 Council member Kenyan McDuffie off the ballot in April, opening up the field for the three lesser-known lawyers.

With little between Spiva and Schwalb — two former partners at D.C. firms and graduates of the same Harvard Law class — many voters and organizations were unsure who to back. 

What’s next: Schwalb told Axios on the campaign trail that he will prioritize pursuing those who target homeowners. He cited predatory and discriminatory lending practices as a top barrier for Black and brown Washingtonians to building intergenerational wealth.  

At times, Racine and Mayor Muriel Bowser had a heated relationship. Shortly after taking office, the two were at odds over the power and budget of the attorney general’s office, which Racine saw as co-equal to the mayor and D.C. Council. More recently, Racine declared he would not represent the D.C. Jail in a lawsuit over its conditions.

Schwalb has also said that he will continue to strengthen the independence of the AG’s office.

Brian Schwalb wins Democratic nomination for D.C. attorney general

The former Venable partner is on track to succeed Karl Racine, who served two terms as the city’s first elected attorney general

Photo: Courtesy of Brian Schwalb campaign

Brian Schwalb prevailed in a three-man Democratic primary race for D.C. attorney general on Tuesday.Why it matters: Schwalb is on track to succeed Karl Racine, who served two terms as the city’s first elected attorney general and built out a 600-person law department that took on Donald Trump, Big Tech, and other high-profile targets, and elevated D.C.&#x27;s profile nationally.

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Town Talker: The D.C. primary's other winners and losers

Progressives gain seats on D.C. Council

Brian Schwalb wins Democratic nomination for D.C. attorney general

D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser wins Democratic primary, set for third term

Mayor Bowser's affordable housing record is under fire in third-term bid

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