Bowser says she's leaving DC in a 'great place' after announcing she's not seeking re-election

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she knows she's leaving the city in a "great place" after announcing that she's not seeking re-election for a fourth term.

READ MORE: DC residents react after Mayor Bowser announces she will not seek another term

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announces she won't seek reelection

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Tuesday that she will not seek a fourth term.

What we know:

Bowser appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe Wednesday morning and talked about the progress and challenges she's faced in governing the nation's capital. "I think we have done the things we set out to do and now it's time for me to use my talents and energies in my next life," she said.

"I've gotten us through a lot of big things, including COVID, including other tumultuous times. And I have preserved our home rule and I'm setting us up for a really big future," she added.

During her time in office, Bowser has worked with Presidents Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Barack Obama and says the city’s relationship with the White House is unique because the District is not quite a city, not quite a state.

"The mayor of D.C. is the mayor, the county executive, and the governor and functions in a lot of cases as the two senators and supports our congresswoman who doesn't have a vote," she said.

Bowser said the city’s unique status hasn’t stopped progress. She cited an 85% revenue increase, rising school enrollment and graduation rates, and the lowest violent crime in 30 years, all while managing a shifting federal workforce.

READ MORE: Bowser won't run for fourth term as DC mayor

DC residents react after Bowser announces she will not seek another term

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says after ten years of serving in her hometown, it's time to pass the baton. Residents who spoke with FOX 5 on Tuesday are still trying to process Bowser's surprising announcement. Our Nana Sentuo Bonsu reports.

Big picture view:

Bowser said her approach with President Trump, and all presidents, has been to identify shared priorities, ways that the White House can help, and to set boundaries.

"Coincidentally, or strangely, however you focus, he and I are both pretty laser-focused on clean and safe activities," she said. "I think when it's all said and done about me, people will say that I was a mayor who was a crisis manager. I was mayor who was focused on law and order. I was a mayor who was a fiscal hawk and a steward of taxpayer dollars. I've been a sports mayor, a housing mayor, and a mayor that could walk down the center, bring people together from both sides, and get things done, because that's the job of a mayor."

Bowser says the city has built more affordable housing than any jurisdiction in the country and credits aggressive planning and public investment for stabilizing rent prices and supporting homeless residents.

Bowser announced her decision Tuesday in a video posted to social media. She has served three terms since her 2014 election.

READ MORE: DC Mayor Bowser issues order in response to Trump's federal takeover