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DC Mayor Bowser will not seek fouth term
After ten years in office, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says she will not seek reelection for a fourth term.
WASHINGTON - After ten years in office, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser says she will not seek reelection for a fourth term.
"It has been the honor of my life to be your Mayor," said Bowser in a post on X Tuesday afternoon. "Together, we have built a legacy of success of which I am intensely proud. With a grateful heart, I am announcing that I will not seek a fourth term. For the next 12 months, let's run through the tape and keep winning for DC."
She told the Washington Post in an interview that "we’ve accomplished what we set out to accomplish."
The backstory:
Bowser has been the mayor of D.C. since 2015. Before that, she represented the 4th ward as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia.
There have been questions for months about Bowser’s plans — and the "will she or won’t she" debates have dominated local D.C. politics.
In a video posted on X this afternoon, the mayor cited what she sees as her accomplishments: the Commanders stadium deal, putting the District on solid financial ground, and growing the business sector.
Bowser has been under increasing pressure this year — from Republicans in Congress who’ve moved to upend D.C. laws, President Trump who declared a crime emergency in August, and residents who criticized her for not fighting the White House, and others who said she should have done more during D.C.’s 2023 crime spike.
What's next:
The 2026 D.C. mayoral election will be on November 3, 2026.
With Bowser now stepping aside, the 2026 D.C. mayoral race is wide open. Already, councilmembers are reportedly ready to launch campaigns.
Axios reported last month that D.C. Council members Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George are both considering running for mayor.