Overview
- The D.C. Democratic State Committee’s executive committee selected Jamal Holtz as an interim at‑large councilmember and the Council scheduled his swearing-in for Monday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. in the John A. Wilson Building.
- Holtz fills the vacancy left by Robert White, who resigned his at‑large seat to preserve eligibility to run for the District’s Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Party officials said the committee invoked emergency authority to make the immediate appointment and that they formally notified Council Chair Phil Mendelson and the D.C. Board of Elections of the decision on Nov. 3.
- The appointment is explicitly temporary: the party will convene a 13‑member ad hoc committee representing all eight wards to run a broader selection for a longer‑term interim replacement before a special election.
- The episode revived attention on a Home Rule Charter rule that reserves two at‑large seats for nonmajor-party or independent members, a quirk that briefly intensified when Councilmember Christina Henderson changed party affiliation and then reversed course.