D.C. Voter Guide: Meet the mayoral candidates

• Alongside front-runners Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George, five other Democratic candidates are running. We invited all to participate in the Axios D.C. voter guide questionnaire.

How to vote: Election Day is Tuesday, June 16.

• All registered voters already should've received ballots in the mail.
• In-person Early Vote Centers will be open from Monday, June 8 to Sunday, June 14.

Between the lines: In deep blue D.C., the Democratic primary is tantamount to victory.

The candidates were invited to complete the following Q&A. Answers have been lightly edited by Axios for style and brevity. Candidates are in the order they appear on the ballot.

Mayoral candidates

Kenyan McDuffie, 50, most recently served as an at-large D.C. Council member and previously represented Ward 5, a swath of neighborhoods from Ivy City to the Maryland line. He's made public safety a top issue in the campaign. He lives in Stronghold.

Rini Sampath, 31, works for a federal government contractor and is a newcomer to politics. Frustrated with the city's snowstorm response last winter, Sampath made government efficiency a major part of her platform. She lives on the U Street Corridor.

Gary Goodweather, 52, comes from the real estate world and is a U.S. Army veteran. Joining the race early, Goodweather mixes a business-friendly message with ideas including free Metro. He lives in Dupont Circle.

Janeese Lewis George, 38, won her Ward 4 D.C. Council seat in 2020, representing neighborhoods like Petworth up to Kennedy Street and beyond. She's made affordability a top campaign issue. She lives in Manor Park.

Ernest Johnson, 70, previously ran for mayor in 2018. The native Washingtonian describes himself as a real estate investor who's focused on safety and affordability. He lives in Columbia Heights.

Hope Solomon, 42, owns a small business and became a candidate after losing her job amid DOGE cuts. A political newcomer, she promised to rethink the public schools lottery system and government efficiency. She lives in Dupont Circle.

Vincent Orange, 69, is a veteran of D.C. politics, serving on the D.C. Council for 13 years before losing his at-large seat in 2016. He pitches a fiscally moderate message. He lives in Brookland-North Michigan Park.

D.C.'s economy isn't what it used to be. What's your plan to attract businesses and employers?

Kenyan McDuffie: I will make D.C. the best city in the region to start and grow a business — by cutting red tape, speeding up the permitting process, innovating where our government has not kept up and supporting local entrepreneurs while simultaneously recruiting strategic target businesses (e.g., tech, cybersecurity, AI, etc.) to relocate.

Rini Sampath: I will diversify D.C.'s economy by cutting permitting red tape, converting vacant offices into housing and mixed-use space, and investing in growth sectors like health care, clean energy and the creative economy.

Gary Goodweather: My administration will make D.C. open for business by completely overhauling the Department of Buildings and the Department of Professional Licensing and Compliance to slash bureaucratic red tape, providing a single point of contact to guide entrepreneurs to success, and lowering foundational costs through initiatives like my clean energy initiative and fare-free transit plan to drive investment across all eight wards.

Janeese Lewis George: We need a downtown that is safe and thriving. We'll do that by strengthening our health care sector, expanding our university sector and driving the creation of a thriving neighborhood in Southwest by using a development corporation, all while creating a one-stop online portal to ease permitting to help small businesses prosper.

Ernest Johnson: I will make it easier for existing businesses to thrive and new businesses to open in all 8 wards by cutting red tape, improving public safety, expanding access to capital and prioritizing D.C. residents for jobs and contracts.

Hope Solomon: Washington can't keep taxing, regulating and permitting businesses to death and then act surprised when jobs leave. My plan is simple: Make D.C. the easiest city in America to start, grow and hire, so employers bring opportunity back instead of taking it to Virginia and Maryland.

Vincent Orange: I will cut red tape, expand CBE contracting to $2 billion, revitalize downtown, and position D.C. as the nation's premier hub for technology, hospitality, health care, education and small business growth.

What's one idea to make D.C. more affordable?

McDuffie: I will create a "Homes for D.C. Heroes" program to expand down payment and home purchase assistance programs so teachers, nurses, police officers and child care workers can afford to own a home in the city they serve every day.

Sampath: I will build more housing near transit and fund reliable public transportation so families can save on both rent and the cost of getting around.

Goodweather: My Fare Free D.C. transit initiative would eliminate Metro fares for all District residents to put approximately $1,000 annually back into the pockets of regular transit riders and energize economic growth.

Lewis George: D.C.'s utility costs are skyrocketing, even more than Northern Virginia's (the AI data center capital of the country); my energy plan right-sizes Pepco's guaranteed profit to shareholders to lower our rates, utilizes regional cooperation and our legal tools to prevent data centers from driving up electricity costs that are passed on to all of us, and expands community solar.

Johnson: I will make D.C. more affordable by alleviating property taxes for seniors living in their homes long-term, expanding affordable housing through nonprofit developers and creating more good-paying jobs for D.C. residents.

Solomon: I'd eliminate the income tax on tips and expand the property tax deduction for longtime D.C. residents — because people should get to keep more of what they earn.

Orange: Launch construction of 1,000 workforce homes for teachers, first responders, seniors, minimum-wage workers and recent graduates using the Housing Production Trust Fund.

The police department's crime stats manipulation scandal has eroded public trust. What would you look for in a new police chief to restore MPD's credibility?

McDuffie: I will recruit a police chief who combines unquestioned integrity with a genuine commitment to community policing, understanding that restoring trust requires both a cultural change within MPD and honest engagement with the public.

Sampath: I would look for a leader with a proven record of transparency and accountability who will publish honest crime data, submit to independent oversight of crime classifications and rebuild trust with both officers and the communities they serve.

Goodweather: I would appoint a mission-driven subject matter expert who will prioritize accountability, transparency and an investment in real community policing to ensure the department is deeply ingrained in the neighborhoods they serve.

Lewis George: We need a leader who can transform the culture at MPD so that it is transparent, collaborative and community-oriented while supporting officers in doing their jobs effectively and safely.

Johnson: I will restore public trust in MPD through greater transparency, stronger internal affairs oversight and advanced officer training partnerships, including expanded training opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base.

Solomon: The police chief needs to understand that Washington residents are smart enough to handle the truth; what they won't tolerate is being told everything is fine when it isn't.

Orange: I will appoint a transparent, data-driven police chief committed to constitutional policing, officer accountability, community engagement and restoring public confidence through measured outcomes.

Do you support enforcing youth curfew zones for the foreseeable future?

McDuffie: ✅ Yes

Sampath: ✅ Yes

Goodweather: ✅ Yes

Lewis George: ❌ No

Johnson: ✅ Yes

Solomon: ✅ Yes

Orange: ✅ Yes

As mayor, would you support Metro's proposal for a bus rapid transit Gold Line, stretching crosstown from Georgetown to Benning Road to the new Commanders stadium?

McDuffie: ✅ Yes

Sampath: ✅ Yes

Goodweather: 🤔 Maybe, once we find out more

Lewis George: ✅ Yes

Johnson: 🤔 Maybe, once we find out more

Solomon: ✅ Yes

Orange: ✅ Yes

D.C. created new rules and fees for streateries this year. The regulations should be...

McDuffie: ➖ Less strict

Sampath: ➖ Less strict

Goodweather: ➖ Less strict

Lewis George: ➖ Less strict

Johnson: ➕ More strict

Solomon: ➖ Less strict

Orange: ➖ Less strict

As D.C.'s first new mayor in 12 years, what's one fresh idea you'll bring to the job? In 12 words or less.

McDuffie: Close the wealth gap with Baby Bonds for D.C. children.

Sampath: Technology that makes government work: redesigned 311, permitting concierge, transparent budget dashboard.

Goodweather: Build a fourth-generation nuclear reactor on federal land for safe, clean energy.

Lewis George: Ending the era of pay-to-play politics.

Johnson: Public courage to challenge special interests and put D.C. residents first.

Solomon: I'll make permitting so fast, Virginia will be jealous.

Orange: Guaranteed paid apprenticeships for every D.C. high school graduate.

Sum up the state of the city in five words or less.

McDuffie: Strong fundamentals, unrealized potential.

Sampath: Incredible city, needs new leadership

Goodweather: The D.C. government is failing residents.

Lewis George: Beautiful city, needs affordability & statehood.

Johnson: Unaffordable city plagued by systemic mismanagement.

Solomon: World-class city, third-rate management.

Orange: Executive experienced institutional-knowledge leadership needed.

Will you rank anyone else for mayor? If so, who?

McDuffie: At this time, I am not ranking anyone else for Mayor.

Sampath: No.

Goodweather: Yes. I am definitely ranking myself No. 1. My No. 2 choice is Hope Solomon.

Lewis George: I am considering a few options.

Johnson: No. Ranked choice voting belongs in New York City, not Washington, D.C.

Solomon: Gary Goodweather.

Orange: No.

What is 1 fun thing voters don't know about you?

McDuffie: I am a pretty decent artist, and as a senior at Jackson-Reed High School (formerly Woodrow Wilson), my art was featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Sampath: I learned Mandarin Chinese while I lived in Singapore for three years as a kid!

Goodweather: I am married today because I dance.

Lewis George: I love watching live comedy.

Johnson: I once helped manage Marion Barry's first mayoral campaign and witnessed D.C. history firsthand.

Solomon: I can spot bad policy faster than I can spot a parking space in D.C.

Orange: I love ❤️ being a grandfather and dearly called Pop Pop by my granddaughters.