At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie announced Tuesday he was stepping down from his D.C. Council post in January, a move that all but paves the way for a mayoral bid.
After serving on the D.C. Council for over a decade, McDuffie told WTOP that his resignation came from his belief in “moving on to other ways of serving the more than 700,000 residents across all eight wards of the District of Columbia.”
McDuffie said that it was bittersweet to attend his final legislative meeting, while alluding that he isn’t finished with his career in politics.
Since D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she would not be seeking reelection, McDuffie’s name has repeatedly come up as a potential candidate. Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis George has already launched her mayoral campaign.
“I think that’s fair, and I think residents have already heard me say as much,” he said, regarding a potential mayoral run. “I’m excited about what is to come in the new year.”
In order to run in the Democratic primary for mayor, McDuffie can’t retain his at-large seat.
Due to a stipulation in the Home Rule Act, only two of the D.C. Council’s four at-large seats can be held by the same political party. McDuffie switched to an independent to run for an at-large seat in 2022, after being a registered Democrat for much of his political career.
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli spoke with McDuffie about his plans for the future, what issues D.C. residents are facing and how he thinks the next mayor of D.C. will have to navigate President Donald Trump’s administration’s challenges to Home Rule.
‘The next mayor is going to have to fight tooth and nail’
While McDuffie wasn’t ready to discuss his decision, he told WTOP he plans to talk about it in the near future.
“I think it’s going to be important for me, when I am ready to discuss that decision and what my plans are, that I have a conversation directly and personally with residents across the District of Columbia,” he said.
He added that residents have been encouraging him to run and have shared with him the challenges they’re facing.
“Residents are still feeling the pressure of rising costs. They’re talking about this federal administration and Congress, together, posing the greatest threat to our city’s autonomy since the establishment of Home Rule,” he said.
The next mayor of D.C. will need to navigate a challenging political terrain for the city. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, the federal government has repeatedly tested D.C.’s autonomy and self-governance.
“The next mayor is going to have to fight tooth and nail to protect the city’s autonomy and to protect our citizens’ basic human rights and civil rights,” McDuffie said. “We cannot have federal officers and law enforcement from other states, National Guard or otherwise, tearing families apart on the streets of the nation’s capital.”
“We’re going to fight to make sure that we are partners when we need to be with the federal government,” he added.
Some council members and D.C. residents have criticized Bowser for her efforts to placate the Trump administration, particularly as it relates to the law enforcement surge in the city.
WTOP asked McDuffie if he believes Bowser has fallen short in pushing back against Trump.
“I believe that she loves her hometown. I know that to be the case,” McDuffie answered.
McDuffie then pivoted to his own vision for the nation’s capital: “When I think about what the future holds for our city and my role in it, I know that I want to continue to fight to protect our residents and really create pathways for residents to have a fair shot at economic prosperity.”
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