Seven candidates are running in a special election for Ward 8 of the Washington, D.C. City Council on July 15, 2025. Four have received media coverage: Salim Adofo (D), Mike Austin (D), Sheila Bunn (D), and Trayon White (D).
On Aug. 19, 2024, federal agents arrested White, a councilmember at the time, after he allegedly accepted bribes to influence government contracts. On February 4, 2025, the D.C. council voted unanimously to expel White. White has pleaded not guilty, and his trial begins in January 2026.
Adofo is the chair of DC’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward 8. White defeated Adofo 52% to 28% in the 2024 primary for this seat. Adofo’s website says he “will work to reduce gun violence, empower our young people, help create quality housing and bring more food options to benefit all of Ward 8.”
Austin was the chief of staff in the office of the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development, and a former staffer for Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May (D). White defeated Austin 58% to 27% in the 2020 primary for this seat. His website says his priorities include “investing in Ward 8 students and businesses, attracting responsible development, and strengthening our workforce so Ward 8 is ready for the demands of tomorrow.
Bunn is a former staffer to U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and worked in the mayor’s office and for Ward 7’s Council Office. She previously ran for this seat in 2015, finishing in third behind LaRuby May and Trayon White. Bunn has campaigned on her experience in ward politics, and her website says, “After 30 years of working with Congresswoman Norton, Mayor Gray, and at the DC Council, I am the most experienced candidate to deliver results for Ward 8.”
White represented this ward from 2017 to 2025. He was re-elected in 2024 with 76% of the vote. White said of his decision to run after his expulsion: “I just got re-elected in November with 20,000 votes… We really don’t feel like the council had the authority to really get me out of office, and people feel like that as well, so it’s going to show in this upcoming election.”
At a candidate forum with all four candidates, three of the candidates discussed the charges against White. Adofo said, “I think that moving forward gives us an opportunity to go a different direction. We have to take into consideration [if this] is where we want to go.” Austin said, “We can no longer give passes for malfeasance… We can’t abuse our trust and our loyalty and our elected officials.” Bunn said, “We need a leader at this time that is not fraught with any ethical issues. One that is ready on day one to work with the current council members that has relationships with the current council members to move the needle for Ward 8.” White said of the charges “You heard one side, haven’t heard my side, but that’s why I’m here still fighting for not just for my freedom, but for the freedom of all people in Ward 8 and across the District.”
University of Maryland Prof. George Musgrove said that White had learned “how to cultivate a relatively small but pretty fervent electoral base in a low-turnout ward. He only has to mobilize a couple thousand people.” The D.C. Democratic Party chair Charles Wilson said that even with his base, he “[didn’t] think he should take his name recognition for granted,” and The Washington Post‘s Meagan Flynn and Jenny Gathright wrote that there were voters at the candidate forum who “have found the bribery scandal a tiring distraction, even among those who backed White in the past.”
Mary Roach (D), Oliver Roy (D), and Delonte Ford Singh (R) are also running as write-in candidates.
Salim Adolofo completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. To read his responses, click here.