D.C. Council member McDuffie not running for re-election

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie will not seek re-election for his seat, his former campaign chairman tells Axios.

• “He has made a decision to not run for council anymore,” said Pierpont Morgan Mobley, who chaired his 2018 campaign.

Why it matters: That sets up the chance for McDuffie to run for attorney general, a seat he is believed to have shown interest in, a source who is familiar with his inner circle says.

• Attorney General Karl Racine is yet to announce whether he will run for mayor, seek a third term or pursue a different opportunity.

What’s next: McDuffie’s decision will jumpstart the contest in his ward and may accelerate candidates entering other key races in the 2022 Democratic primary.

• Three other candidates have already filed papers to run in Ward 5.
• They are Faith Gibson Hubbard, most recently a community affairs director for the mayor; advisory neighborhood commissioner Gordon-Andrew Lee Fletcher; and Ward 5 Education Board member Zachary Parker.