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1h ago

Bowser Won't Seek Fourth Term, Setting Up Open 2026 D.C. Mayoral Race

Her decision closes a decade in office after a year of federal intervention that tested the capital’s limited home rule.

Mayor of Washington, DC Muriel Bowser testifies at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Capitol Hill on September 18.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, from right, and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Mayor Muriel Bowser during the Committee On Oversight and Government Reform Hearing On The Oversight of the District of Columbia inside the United States Capitol in Washington, DC on Sept. 18, 2025.
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Overview

  • Muriel Bowser announced her choice in a video on X and an NBC-4 interview, calling it the hardest decision of her career and saying she had accomplished her goals.
  • She will remain in office through Jan. 2, 2027 and said her final-year priority is growing Washington’s economy.
  • The move follows President Donald Trump’s August order deploying National Guard troops and temporarily federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department, actions the city challenged in court.
  • A federal judge on Nov. 20 temporarily halted the National Guard deployment, underscoring ongoing legal and political fights over D.C.’s autonomy.
  • Her exit immediately opens a competitive 2026 mayoral contest, with figures such as Kenyan McDuffie, Janeese Lewis George and Ivan Cloyd mentioned as potential candidates.