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

Her decision follows a tumultuous year of federal intervention that tested the District’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

  • Bowser announced her plans in a video on X and a letter to residents, calling the choice the hardest she has made and saying it was time to pass the baton.
  • She will remain in office through Jan. 2, 2027, and says she will focus her final year on growing Washington’s economy.
  • The announcement comes after President Donald Trump ordered a National Guard deployment and a federal takeover of the police department; the city sued and a federal judge temporarily halted the Guard mission last week.
  • In her message, Bowser cited accomplishments including large housing and infrastructure projects, lower unemployment, and a AAA bond rating.
  • The open-seat contest in 2026 is expected to draw multiple contenders, with Council members Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George among those discussed.