D.C. primary election results: Tight race in Ward 7
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The Democratic primary election in Ward 7 remained tight Tuesday evening, between two candidates with opposing views of the city's biggest project-in-waiting, RFK Stadium.
Why it matters: The successor to Ward 7 council member Vincent Gray will be a key vote on the future of the RFK site — and an advocate for underrepresented communities east of the Anacostia River.
The big picture: In this deep blue city, the winner of the Democratic primary is highly likely to win their seat in the November general election.
State of play: Wendell Felder leads with a little more than 200 votes over Ebony Payne. About 19% of votes are still to be counted as of early Wednesday morning. Felder declared victory at his Election Night party, while Payne's campaign manager said they were waiting for the final votes to be recorded.
- Felder is open to building a new Commanders stadium at the 190-acre RFK site — without taxpayer funds.
- Payne is a staunch opponent. She is a neighborhood commissioner in Hill East, where many residents oppose taxpayers funding a new sports arena and the traffic it would bring.
You can view the full results at the D.C. Board of Elections or follow below:
Zoom in: Payne dominated votes surrounding the RFK site.
- But Felder is winning precincts outside of the RFK vicinity, especially across the bulk of the ward east of the Anacostia River.
- He ran with the endorsement of Gray, along with three other sitting council members and a well-funded pro-business group, Opportunity D.C.
Zoom out: Elsewhere, incumbents were cruising to victory.
- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton looks destined for an 18th term in Congress after winning over 80% of the vote.
- Council members Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4), Trayon White (Ward 8), and Robert White (at-large) fended off challengers with comfortable margins. Incumbent Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) ran unopposed.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.