D.C. business types mount Bowser-for-mayor campaign
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Opportunity D.C. praises Mayor Bowser's handling of the Trump administration. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A pro-business group is nudging Mayor Muriel Bowser into running for reelection.
Why it matters: Will she, won't she? The push suggests Bowser's allies expect her to run for a fourth term, after earlier signs said the opposite.
Driving the news: A website called draftmurielbowser.com surfaced last week, asking residents to sign on.
- Invoking her defense of D.C. from President Trump — which critics have called too soft — the site telegraphs messaging that Bowser could run on.
- It touts a Washington Post story about the lengths Bowser has taken to placate the White House, like fixing worn tiles in a highway tunnel Trump complained about and walking a tightrope during the federal surge to avoid a greater takeover.
- Bowser "leaves her ego at the door," the site says, "and works hard — away from the cameras — to ensure our rights are still intact when Donald Trump leaves office."
Zoom in: The site's funder, Opportunity DC IEC, has supported business-friendly candidates in elections.
- It's a super PAC-like entity that can spend unlimited funds on political campaigns but can't coordinate directly with candidates.
Follow the money: Funders include Katherine Bradley ($80,000 since 2022), a big philanthropist in the education sphere, and Tim O'Shaughnessy ($75,000 since '22), CEO of Graham Holdings, per public campaign finance filings.
- This year, $90,000 also came via Opportunity D.C.'s nonprofit arm. Its donors aren't publicly disclosed.
- Political operative Malcom Fox, who leads the group, tells me they support "policies that sustainably reduce the cost of living," starting with more housing construction.
A sign Bowser's interested: She hosted a group of social media influencers last week, talking up her Trump strategy and the need to keep building affordable housing.
Flashback: Opportunity D.C. spent heavily to help elect Council member Kenyan McDuffie to an at-large Council seat in 2022, unseating the progressive incumbent, Elissa Silverman.
The intrigue: McDuffie is seriously considering running for mayor.
- But the draft campaign means Bowser has the backing from the biz titans.
- Meanwhile, progressive council member Janeese Lewis George is plotting a Zohran Mamdani-style mayoral campaign, as I scooped last week.