DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced today on Twitter she’ll run for a third term. Bowser has been mayor of DC since 2015, and has been in DC politics since 2004, serving as a Ward 4 ANC commissioner and Ward 4 councilmember.
“DC residents know how to rise to a challenge,” Bowser tweeted. “When the pandemic upended our lives, we didn’t panic, rather we put on our masks, took care of our neighbors & persevered. When Trump attacked us with rubber bullets & tear gas, we organized a few courageous artists and some cans of paint, and we pushed back with a powerful message of unity. In these unprecedented times, we have moved our city forward together, and despite all that we have faced, we have given more Washingtonians a #fairshot. “
“We’ve pushed for more affordable housing, for better schools, for women’s rights, for public safety, for #DCValues, for #DCStatehood. Our finances are excellent, and our government is ethical, accountable, & transparent. We managed through a pandemic & we are making a comeback. But there are still challenges for us to tackle, and we have more work to do. That’s why I am running for reelection to be your mayor of the greatest city in the world, my hometown, and soon to be the #51stState.”
Bowser’s last campaign was heavily funded by large corporate donations, drawing criticism that she was too cozy with developers. This campaign, she’ll participate in the city’s public financing program, which provides funding to candidates who pledge to only accept small donations.
Should Bowser win a third term, she would be the second-longest serving mayor of DC, outranked only by ‘Mayor for Life’ Marion Barry, who served three consecutive terms from 1979-1991 and a fourth term from 1995-1999. Bowser’s competition includes DC councilmembers Robert C. White Jr. (At Large) and Trayon White Sr. (Ward 8).
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
