Politics professor says DC Mayor Bowser’s decision to not run for reelection ‘makes sense’

Twelve years is a long time, and to commit to another four years would be a really difficult step to take, I think, particularly when you consider she has a young daughter who’s certainly entering an age that needs significant time and attention from a parent.

So, I don’t think it’s a big surprise in that regard, and it’s a difficult job. I don’t think people really understand the complexity it comes with being the mayor of the nation’s capital. So, you add it all up, and, it makes sense to me.

Yeah, I would add Marion Barry. In 1995, you had a control board, and all of that came with that. And while that wasn’t the president of the United States chipping away at Home Rule, there was certainly concern that Republicans that control the House were moving in that direction.

Having said that, with regard to Mayor Bowser, she is trying to defend the city with one arm tied behind her back, in many respects, given the way the city has its relationship with the national government. She has, in my view, done about as good a job as you can do.

I know there’s a lot of pushbacks against that idea, but I think she, in that regard, has done a pretty good job.

I think her legacy is rooted in a couple things. First, good governance. One thing I think people forget, as the years have passed on, was that she won the job from Mayor (Vincent) Gray, who won the job from Mayor Adrian Fenty.

And, there have been some churning, so to speak, going from one mayor to the next. And, she brought good governance. And, secondly, she brought steadiness at a time in which the city definitely needed that.

And then you add all the other stuff, all the redevelopment projects that have taken place around the city, for some, those projects have caused some heartburn, and I think that some of the criticism could be seen as fair, but overall, I think there’s no question that the city’s better off now than it was when she took it. Next year’s mayor’s race is going to be a really big deal.

I think that actually is going to be one of the really big issues in the race next year. How is the mayor going to, for lack of a better phrase, manage the White House.

I am sure that all of the folks who are thinking about running, or have announced that they’re going to run, have thought about this. But, it’s the kind of issue that’s going to require deeper thoughts than anybody’s probably already given, as we think about the fact that it is now official that Mayor Bowser won’t seek reelection.

We’re going to have a new mayor, and Trump has to be part of the calculus.