Ernest E. Johnson
Ernest Johnson (Democratic Party) is running for election for Mayor of Washington D. C.. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 16, 2026.[source]
Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ernest Johnson was born in Washington, D.C. He earned a high school diploma from Benjamin Banneker Academic High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 2020. His career experience includes working as a real estate executive, nonprofit founder, community activist, and author.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on June 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Gary Goodweather | ||
 | Ernest Johnson  | |
| Stanley Lawson Sr. | ||
 | Janeese Lewis George | |
 | Kenyan McDuffie | |
 | Vincent Orange | |
| Rini Sampath | ||
| Hope Solomon | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Green Party primary
Green primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.
Robert Gross (G) is running in the Green Party primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Robert Gross | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2018
General election
General election for Mayor of Washington D.C.
Incumbent Muriel Bowser defeated Ann Wilcox, Dustin Canter, and Martin Moulton in the general election for Mayor of Washington D.C. on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Muriel Bowser (D) | 76.4 | 171,608 |
| Ann Wilcox (G) | 9.3 | 20,950 | ||
 | Dustin Canter (Independent) | 6.9 | 15,478 | |
 | Martin Moulton (L) | 3.4 | 7,569 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 4.0 | 9,053 | ||
| Total votes: 224,658 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.
Incumbent Muriel Bowser defeated James Butler and Ernest Johnson in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 19, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Muriel Bowser | 83.1 | 61,855 |
 | James Butler | 10.6 | 7,915 | |
| Ernest Johnson | 6.3 | 4,674 | |
| Total votes: 74,444 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Manley Collins (D)
- Jeremiah Stanback (D)
Green primary election
Green primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.
Ann Wilcox advanced from the Green primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 19, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ann Wilcox | 100.0 | 379 | |
| Total votes: 379 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.
Martin Moulton advanced from the Libertarian primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 19, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Martin Moulton | 100.0 | 98 |
| Total votes: 98 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Washington, D.C. Council elections, 2014
Washington, D.C. held city council elections on November 4, 2014. A primary election took place on April 1. Brianne Nadeau defeated incumbent Jim Graham, Bryan Weaver and Beverley Wheeler in the Democratic primary. Nadeau defeated face John Vaught LaBeaume (L) and Ernest E. Johnson (I) in the general election.[2][3][4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Brianne Nadeau |
75.3% | 17,024 | |
| Libertarian | John Vaught LaBeaume | 3.7% | 829 | |
| Independent | Ernest E. Johnson | 8.9% | 2,021 | |
| Other | Write-in | 0.9% | 207 | |
| Other | Over and Under Votes | 11.2% | 2,535 | |
| Total Votes | 22,616 | |||
| Source: Washington, D.C. Board of Elections - General Election Results | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brianne Nadeau |
58.7% | 6,688 | ||
| Jim Graham Incumbent | 40.8% | 4,642 | ||
| Write-in | 0.5% | 57 | ||
| Total Votes | 11,387 | |||
| Source: Washington D.C. Board of Elections |
||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ernest Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses.
| Collapse all
My passion for public service is rooted in family, faith, and a deep commitment to fairness. I’ve led efforts to preserve and redevelop public land for community use, chaired local nonprofits, and fought for affordable housing, youth programs, and economic opportunity for all eight wards. As someone who overcame early challenges—including a conviction in my youth—I’ve built a life of purpose, resilience, and results.
I believe leadership means listening, showing up, and getting things done. That’s the foundation of my campaign.- 1. Restoring Safety, Affordability, and Opportunity Across All Eight Wards Public safety is the foundation of a thriving city. I am committed to restoring community trust while ensuring that every neighborhood feels secure—through smart, accountable policing, youth violence prevention, and expanded mental health resources. At the same time, I will champion housing affordability by increasing pathways to homeownership, enforcing tenant protections, and investing in workforce housing for teachers, first responders, and city workers. Economic opportunity must be accessible to all, not just the well-connected. I will work to make sure every resident—young or old, returning citizen or new immigrant—has a fair shot at a good job, a stable home.
- 2. Community Ownership and Local Prosperity—Not More Giveaways to Billionaires Our campaign is focused on putting D.C. residents first—not developers or stadium lobbyists. As founder of the nonprofit Friends of the Frank Reeves Center, I’ve championed public land use that benefits the community: affordable housing, a museum of Black Broadway, a rooftop restaurant, and local government services—not luxury condos. I oppose giving away public assets like RFK Stadium to wealthy sports owners without guaranteed community benefits. I am fighting for enforceable equity—like a 26% “community stake” in the Washington Commanders—so that local jobs, revenues, and investments stay in our neighborhoods. We must stop repeating the mistakes of the past.
- 3. A Life of Experience, Accountability, and Service to Others: I am not a career politician. I am a lifelong Washingtonian, a proud father and grandfather, and someone who has built a great life and strong family. After earning my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, I returned to school in my 70s and am now completing my master’s in Government at Harvard University. I’ve led nonprofits, supported youth and seniors, and stood up to the powerful when necessary. I believe leadership means being present, honest, and focused on results—not rhetoric. My candidacy is proof that redemption is real, and that the voices of everyday people still matter.
RFK Redevelopment must center community—not billionaires. I oppose taxpayer-funded stadium deals without enforceable benefits. I support a 26% “community ownership stake” in any development to ensure long-term returns and local job creation.
I look up to President Abraham Lincoln, whose vision preserved the Union and ended slavery, and to President Harry S. Truman, who had the courage to desegregate the armed forces. I also honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his disciplined, visionary leadership, and Malcolm X for his uncompromising demand for dignity and self-determination.
Locally, I’ve been uplifted and encouraged by many great legal minds, including Judges Luke Moore, Fauntleroy, Halleck, Thomas, Harry T. Alexander, Hamilton, and King—all of whom helped shape my understanding of justice and public service.
In the media world, voices like William Raspberry, Judith Martin, and Leon Dash were formative. From my youth through adulthood, they modeled thoughtful analysis, moral consistency, and the power of the written word.
Integrity means telling the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable—and doing what’s right, not what’s easy or politically convenient. Accountability means showing up, owning decisions, and being transparent with the public.
Courage is essential for standing up to powerful interests and breaking with the status quo when it fails the people. Compassion reminds us that policies aren’t just paperwork—they affect real lives, especially those too often left out or left behind.
As Mayor of the District of Columbia, I believe the job is threefold: protect the public, steward public resources wisely, and expand opportunity for all eight wards. That includes ensuring safe neighborhoods, clean streets, responsive city services, and schools that truly educate. It also means demanding transparency in contracting, equitable development, and clear performance from agency heads.
Above all, the Mayor must be accountable—not just during elections, but every day. That requires listening to the public, showing up in all communities, and leading with humility, integrity, and urgency.
We must address the strain unregulated immigration places on housing, healthcare, and city services. At the same time, public safety must be restored through smarter policing, youth intervention, and community trust. Affordability—especially for working families and seniors—is slipping away, and without bold housing and wage policies, too many residents will be pushed out.
But achieving statehood requires more than convincing Congress—it also means addressing internal challenges here at home. We must show that D.C. is ready to govern itself with transparency, fiscal responsibility, and accountability to residents. That includes ethical leadership, strong city services, and a united front in the fight for full representation.
I also support granting the Mayor complete prosecutorial and pardon authority for all local crimes, aligning D.C. with the powers held by governors and mayors in other jurisdictions. Our public safety strategy must be locally led and democratically accountable—not subject to federal overreach or fragmented decision-making.
Given D.C.’s unique role as the Nation’s Capital, the Mayor must also have direct access to the Senate and House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees to coordinate on national security matters that directly impact our residents.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2014
On his campaign website, Johnson highlighted the following issues:[6]
Education
- Excerpt: "Quailty seats in Ward One schools. Ernest will hold a Ward One Education Summit of parents, teachers and community stakholders to establish 24 months bench marks to show major improvements, from pre-k thru 12 grade and improved graduation rates. All kids reading, writing, adding, substracting, dividing and multipling by 4th grade. More accountability of charter schools use of $300 million dollars of DC tax money and when and where charters open new schools as not to affect DC public schools feeder patterns."
DC Pride
- Excerpt: "Ernest will ask Ward One businesses to pay a 1% tax to launch DC Pride. A volunteer to work program for unemployed residents. The program will consist of volunteer fire/ems, public works, graffiti removal and helping seniors maintain their properties."
Streetcars
- Excerpt: "Ernest opposes streetcars in Ward One. The construction would harm small businesses and the ward would lose about 100 parking spaces. Ward One has three Metro stops, Metro buses, DC Circulator, bike lanes and superb walkability."
Affordability
- Excerpt: "Ernest wants to keep Ward One diverse and affordable. Making sure our rent control regulations are strong and enforced. Stopping developers from using loop holes to build pop ups in residential neighborhoods. Increasing the income requirement for Homestead Act exemption and amending the seniors property tax exemption bill to lower the age to 65 years old and make no provision for seniors to repay taxes if they sell their home."
See also
2026 Elections
Government
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2025.
- ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Official primary candidate list," accessed June 16, 2014
- ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed June 16, 2014
- ↑ DC Board of Elections, "November 4, 2014 General Election Sample Ballot," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ Washington, D.C. Board of Elections, "2014 Unofficial Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Ernest Johnson for City Council, "Home," accessed October 13, 2014 (dead link)
