Seven candidates are running in the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C. on June 16, 2026. Two candidates led in media attention: Janeese Lewis George (D) and Kenyan McDuffie (D).

Incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) is not running for re-election and is retiring from public office.

The 51st's Martin Austermuhle wrote, "This year’s mayoral primary is one of the most consequential and competitive in D.C.’s history – certainly in the last 12 years — after Bowser decided not to run for a fourth term."

The Washington Examiner's Rena Rowe wrote, "The matchup has emerged as a battle between competing visions for the district’s Democratic Party. Lewis George has embraced a more progressive, left-wing message and drawn comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while McDuffie has cast himself as a centrist Democrat closely aligned with Bowser." Outside groups have spent on ads criticizing both candidates' records. Opportunity DC, a pro-business organization, has launched ads criticizing Lewis George over her record on public safety, while Safe & Affordable DC has released ads criticizing McDuffie over rising utility costs.

This is also the first election in which the city is using ranked-choice voting. Voters can rank up to five candidates. In a City Cast DC-sponsored TrueDot poll released May 20, Lewis George received 39% of the vote, McDuffie received 34%, and the rest was split among various candidates. Pollster Jon Cohen said ranked-choice voting could affect how second-choice votes are redistributed: "The second-choice results suggest McDuffie has room to grow through ranked-choice transfers, creating a real challenge. But ranked-choice outcomes are inherently harder to model than first-past-the-post elections … So these numbers are best read as evidence of McDuffie's path to tighten the race under RCV, rather than an indication of the ultimate outcome."

Lewis George is a councilmember for Ward 4. She is campaigning on building more housing, and her campaign website says she would "reform zoning laws, streamline the permitting process, and break down other barriers to building more housing all across the city and particularly near the Metro, schools, and parks." Lewis George is also campaigning on expanding access to childcare, and her campaign website says she would "boost investments to expand providers that offer nontraditional hours, create Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care, and create a dedicated facilities grant fund."

McDuffie served as an at-large member of the city council until January 2026. In his response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, McDuffie said that he would focus on affordability: "I will put affordability at the center of utility regulation, requiring every major rate case to be measured by its impact on household budgets." McDuffie also said in his response that he would focus on improving education: "Through Every Child, Every Step, I will invest in our youth from birth to adulthood with universal out-of-school-time programs, strengthened career, technical education and workforce programs that prepare them for today’s job market."

Gary Goodweather (D), Ernest E. Johnson (D), Vincent Orange (D), Rini Sampath (D), and Hope Solomon (D) are also running.

Gary Goodweather (D), Ernest Johnson (D), Kenyan McDuffie (D), Vincent Orange (D), and Rini Sampath (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

Washington, D.C., does not have term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors serve a four-year term.