WASHINGTON, DC NEWS – Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser, after two decades in political office, will not seek re-election

Photos by Wendy Thompson (DC Spotlight Newspaper)

Muriel Bowser — the mayor of Washington, D.C. — announced on November 25, 2025 that she will not seek re-election in the 2026 mayoral race.

During her tenure (first elected in 2014, taking office in 2015), Bowser highlighted several accomplishments: she helped deliver major infrastructure and development projects including the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, navigated the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, boosted economic development and lowered unemployment, and advanced affordable housing and public-safety reforms.

Her departure is especially significant because D.C. — a strongly Democratic jurisdiction — hasn’t had an open mayoral race without an incumbent in two decades. That makes the upcoming election likely to be a competitive turning point for the city’s leadership.