Muriel Bowser

Muriel Bowser

Democratic Party

Mayor of Washington D.C.

Tenure

2015 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

10

Predecessor

Vincent Gray

Prior offices

Washington D.C. City Council Ward 4

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Elizabeth Seton High School

Bachelor's

Chatham College

Graduate

American University

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Official TikTok

Campaign website

Personal Facebook

Muriel Bowser (Democratic Party) is the Mayor of Washington D. C.. She assumed office on January 2, 2015. Her current term ends on January 2, 2027.

Bowser (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Mayor of Washington D. C.. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Bowser previously represented Ward 4 on the Washington, D.C. Council from 2007 to 2015. She was elected to the council in 2007 in a special election to fill the Ward 4 seat when it was vacated by former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Bowser won election to a full term in 2008 and was re-elected for a second term in 2012.

Before being elected to city council, Bowser served on the Washington, D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission from 2004-2007.

Biography

Bowser was born in Washington, D.C. She earned a high school diploma from Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Chatham College and a graduate degree in public policy from American University.

Career

Below is a brief summary of Bowser's political career.

• 2015-Present: Mayor of Washington, D.C.
• 2007-2015: Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4
• 2004-2007: Washington, D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission

Elections

2022

See also: Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (2022)

General election

General election for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Incumbent Muriel Bowser defeated Rodney Red Grant, Stacia Hall, and Dennis Sobin in the general election for Mayor of Washington D.C. on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Muriel Bowser (D)	74.6	147,433
		Rodney Red Grant (Independent)	14.9	29,531
		Stacia Hall (R)	5.8	11,510
		Dennis Sobin (L)	1.3	2,521
		Other/Write-in votes	3.3	6,580

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 197,575
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Incumbent Muriel Bowser defeated Robert White, Trayon White, and James Butler in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Muriel Bowser	49.0	62,391
		Robert White	40.5	51,557
		Trayon White	8.8	11,193
		James Butler	1.4	1,753
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	406

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 127,300
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Stacia Hall advanced from the Republican primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacia Hall	80.4	2,368
		Other/Write-in votes	19.6	577

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,945
= 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

• Lori Furstenberg (R)

Green primary election

No Green candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Corren Brown (G)

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Dennis Sobin advanced from the Libertarian primary for Mayor of Washington D.C. on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dennis Sobin (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	100	108

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 108
= 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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2018

See also: Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (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
	Submit photo	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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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
✔	Submit photo	Ann Wilcox	100.0	379

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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. mayoral election, 2014

Washington, D.C. held mayoral elections on November 4, 2014. A primary election took place on April 1. Muriel Bowser defeated incumbent Vincent Gray, Carlos Allen, Christian A. Carter, Jack Evans, Michael Green, Reta Jo Lewis, Vincent Orange, Luis Poblete, Frank Sewell, Andy Shallal, Octavia Wells and Tommy Wells in the Democratic primary. Faith was unopposed in the D.C. Statehood Green Party primary, while Bruce Majors was unopposed in the Libertarian primary.

In the general election, Bowser defeated Faith, Majors, David Catania (I), Nestor Djonkam (I), and Carol Schwartz (I).

Mayor of Washington, D.C. General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Muriel Bowser	54.5%	96,666
	Independent	Nestor Djonkam	0.3%	460
	Independent	David Catania	34.6%	61,388
	Green	Faith	0.9%	1,520
	Independent	Carol Schwartz	7%	12,327
	Libertarian	Bruce Majors	0.7%	1,297
	Other	Write-in	0.9%	1,612
	Other	Under and Over Votes	1.2%	2,088
Total Votes				177,358
Source: Washington, D.C. Board of Elections - General Election Results

Washington D.C. Democratic Mayoral Primary Election Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Muriel Bowser	43.4%	42,045
Vincent Gray Incumbent	32.6%	31,613
Jack Evans	5%	4,877
Andy Shallal	3.3%	3,196
Reta Lewis	0.5%	490
Vincent Orange	2%	1,946
Carlos Allen	0.1%	120
Tommy Wells	12.8%	12,393
Write-in	0.2%	235
Total Votes		96,915
Source: Washington D.C. Board of Elections

In October 2014, Bowser received endorsements from President Barack Obama (D), Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the Washington Post.

According to a report by the Washington Post, Bowser's campaign had approximately $1 million on hand as of October 11, 2014.

Endorsements

In 2014, Bowser's endorsements included the following:

• President Barack Obama
• Governor Martin O'Malley
• Governor Terry McAuliffe
• District of Columbia Electrical Association
• National Association of Government Employees local R3-05
• International Association of Firefighters, Local 36
• Service Employees International Union
• Emily’s List
• Women’s Campaign Fund
• Stein Club
• The Washington Post
• U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
• Mayor Anthony Williams, District of Columbia, 1999-2007
• District of Columbia Councilmember Anita Bonds (at-large)
• District of Columbia Councilmember Vincent Orange (at-large)
• District of Columbia Councilmember Jack Evans (Ward 2)
• District of Columbia Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward 6)
• District of Columbia Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7)
• District of Columbia Councilmember Marion Barry (Ward 8)

2012

In 2012, Bowser defeated five challengers in the April 3 primary election. She ran unopposed in the November 6 general election.

Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Muriel Bowser Incumbent	97.3%	33,045
	Other	Write-in	2.7%	933
Total Votes				33,978

Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Muriel Bowser Incumbent	66.4%	7,541
Judi Jones	3.3%	371
Max Skolnik	9.2%	1,042
Baruti Jahi	5.4%	619
Renee L. Bowser	13.4%	1,523
Calvin "Gurley"	2.4%	268
Total Votes		11,364

2008

In 2008, Bowser defeated three challengers in the September 9 primary election. She ran unopposed in the November 4 general election.

Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Muriel Bowser Incumbent	97.1%	30,888
	Other	Write-in	2.9%	936
Total Votes				31,824

Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4, 2008
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Muriel Bowser Incumbent	75.3%	7,132
Paul E. Montague	3.2%	302
Malik F. Mendenhall-Johnson	2.5%	236
Baruti Jahi	19%	1,800
Total Votes		9,470

2007

In 2007, Bowser defeated 18 opponents in a May 1 special election to replace outgoing Ward 4 representative Adrian Fenty.

Washington, D.C. Council, Ward 4, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Muriel Bowser	40.4%	5,064
	Democratic	Tony Towns	3.1%	390
	Democratic	Michael Brown	27.4%	3,433
	Democratic	Michael Green	0.4%	49
	Democratic	Artee Milligan	1.4%	170
	Democratic	Carroll Green	0.9%	117
	Democratic	Robert Childs	2.7%	339
	Democratic	James Clark	0.1%	17
	Democratic	Lisa Bass	0.9%	110
	Democratic	Charles Gaither	5.4%	683
	Independent	Judi Jones	1.2%	154
	Democratic	T. A. Uqdah	0.7%	82
	Democratic	Graylan Hagler	3.7%	468
	Democratic	Marlenda Edwards	0.8%	97
	Green	Renee Bowser	4.6%	583
	Democratic	Roy Howell	0.1%	10
	Democratic	Lisa Bradford	0.6%	72
	Democratic	Douglass Sloan	0.8%	98
	Democratic	Dwight Singleton	4.9%	609
Total Votes				12,545

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Muriel Bowser did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

On her campaign website, Bowser highlighted the issues below. She also released a 44 page pamphlet titled Moving Forward Together: Priorities for the District’s Future, which can be viewed here.

Education

• Excerpt: "Muriel will expand early childhood learning opportunities to give our kids a strong foundation for kindergarten—and the years ahead. She will invest in quality feeder schools, so that our middle schoolers are prepared for the rigors of higher learning. And she’ll enhance our children’s preparation for the workforce with quality career and technical educational programs.For teachers and students, she’ll provide the resources and flexibility to increase instructional time, and provide additional resources to schools with innovative programs found to be effective in significantly advancing academic growth."

Infrastructure

• Excerpt: "Muriel will drive infrastructure investment by initiating creative solutions like public/private partnerships that will allow greater flexibility and increased revenues while protecting the interests of DC’s residents."

Government

• Excerpt: "DC needs a government that works for the people and is open to the people. Muriel will open our government so that DC residents have the ability to discuss their concerns and make suggestions of what we can do better. We also need government agencies made up of the best and the brightest we can attract. Muriel will seek cabinet members, employees and others who possess both substantial credentials in a professional discipline but also a solid grounding in ethical management and decision-making. Good judgment will be a hallmark of Bowser Administration officials at all levels, their actions will be held to the highest standards of ethical behavior and management."

The Economy

• Excerpt: "Muriel will work to make sure that all of DC’s residents can find sustainable employment that allows them to succeed by increasing the city’s minimum wage, working to increase educational opportunities beyond just 4-year degree programs and providing incentives for businesses to move into the District and flourish."

Media

2014

"Why I'm Voting for Muriel Bowser."

"I'm Running for Mayor."

Polls

2014

2014 Mayor of Washington, D.C.
Poll	Muriel Bowser	David Catania	Carol Schwartz	Other	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Economic Growth DC CapitalDecision2014 Poll (September 28-30, 2014)	35%	27%	11%	0%	27%	+/-3	1,023
NBC4/Washington Post/Marist DC Poll (September 14-16, 2014)	43%	24%	17%	1%	15%	+/-3	1,070
AVERAGES	39%	25.5%	14%	0.5%	21%	+/-3	1,046.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Issues

2024 Olympic Games

In December 2014, Bowser travelled to Redwood City, California to make a presentation to the U.S. Olympic Committee, advocating for Washington, D.C. to be selected as the site of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. "We recognize that hosting the Games would not only be a tremendous opportunity for our city, but a great place to foster international unity and friendly competition among the best athletes in the world," said Bowser.

D.C. was one of four cities making presentations to the committee. The other three were Los Angeles, California, Boston, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California.

On January 8, 2015, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that it had selected the city of Boston as its bid for 2024.

Education reform

In June 2014, Bowser indicated that, if elected as mayor, she would retain Kaya Henderson as the Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. In April 2014, Bowser noted, "I talked to Kaya immediately after our primary and to really understand her vision for the schools, how she’s going to urgently attack some issues, including how we’re going to invest in middle schools and close the achievement gap. She demonstrated to me that she has the urgency and vision."

Also related to education reform in D.C., Bowser sharply criticized outgoing Mayor Vincent Gray's plans to redraw school boundaries on several different occasions. In May 2014, for example, Bowser said, "I don’t think it should be pushed through, and if there cannot be a reasonable way to relook at the current proposals — which I am not satisfied with any of them, not ‘A,’ not ‘B,’ and not ‘C’ – I don’t support any of them the way they have been presented ... I want to be real clear about what my position is: My position is that any proposal has to guarantee that a family has a right to go to their neighborhood school, at elementary school, at middle school and at high school. Period."

Marijuana legalization

In March 2014, Bowser voted in favor of a bill in city council that decriminalized small amounts of marijuana. The bill reduced penalties for possessing an ounce of marijuana or less from six months in prison and a $1,000 fine to no jail time and a $25 fine for possession or a $100 fine for public use. She was also one of many D.C. citizens, who signed a petition in support of an approved 2014 ballot measure known as Initiative 71, which allows D.C. residents to possess up to two ounces of marijuana, to grow up to six cannabis plants and to use or sell marijuana related paraphernalia.

Streetcar

In the summer of 2014, Bowser voted alongside twelve other council members in favor of budget cuts for a D.C. streetcar project supported by outgoing Mayor Vincent Gray. In July, Bowser said, "In the seven years I've been on the council, and worked on budgets, I've never gotten everything that I wanted. Sometimes I got things I didn't want ... Time and time again we've put money into the streetcars and we have yet to see results."

However, in a platform pamphlet titled Moving Forward Together: Priorities for the District’s Future that she released in September 2014, Bowser voiced her support for a streetcar line running along H Street and Benning Road NE, saying, "The simulated streetcar service expected to begin in October 2014 along H Street and Benning Road NE is a welcome sign of progress for residents of the District, as a fully operational streetcar will provide additional transit options for District residents and visitors alike." Bowser went on to say, "there is much to be learned from the process that will eventually lead to the operation of the District’s first streetcar line in 50 years, and District residents have been rightfully concerned about the project’s excess costs and delays. As Mayor, Muriel Bowser will lead a comprehensive assessment of the DC Streetcar project to learn from missteps made, correct planning and operational deficiencies by reforming the District’s procurement apparatus, and responsibly and confidently move forward with an expansion of streetcar service in a way that meets the needs of District residents and visitors."

Affordable housing

In Moving Forward Together: Priorities for the District’s Future and at a candidate forum in October, Bowser pledged, if elected, that she would dedicate $100 million per year to affordable housing in D.C. in order to meet a goal of 10,000 units per year. She also noted in Moving Forward Together that she would "demand that at the very least 20% of units built on District-owned land be reserved for low-income households."

Closely connected to issue of affordable housing is Bowser's handling of an investigation of a dilapidated low-income housing unit in southeastern D.C. called Park Southern Apartments. In the summer of 2014, the apartment complex, which is home to about 700 D.C. residents, faced scrutiny for deteriorating conditions and delinquent mortgage payments totaling $628,000. The handling of such issues in D.C. falls to the Committee on Economic Development, of which Bowser is the Chair. In July, however, Bowser turned the issue over to the city's inspector general.

In her 2014 mayoral campaign, Bowser faced criticism for her handling of the Park Southern situation because of her political connections to the president of the nonprofit responsible for overseeing the apartment complex, Rowena Joyce Scott, as well as the former Park Southern Property Manager, Phinis Jones. Scott and Jones were both vocal supporters of Bowser's mayoral campaign, which caused some, such as one of her 2014 opponents David Catania (I), to argue that she attempted to protect political supporters.

D.C. statehood

After a campaign event and meeting with Florida congresswoman and chair of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) in October 2014, the D.C. focused political site Roll Call asked Bowser if she had discussed the issues of D.C. statehood and voting rights with Wasserman and other national Democrats. Bowser responded by saying, "Well, there’s certainly a lot of federal issues before the District of Columbia, and statehood, and budget autonomy, and legislative autonomy are certainly tops of our list. So, as mayor, we’ve laid out a program of how we’re going to better work with the Congress and fight a new fight for that autonomy and statehood."

Bowser elaborated on the issue of statehood in Moving Forward Together: Priorities for the District’s Future, saying, "In creating a strong local government system in the District of Columbia, through the promotion of open and good government, the District should be better positioned to demand an end to federal taxation without representation. District residents should no longer be disenfranchised. As Mayor, Muriel Bowser is committed to achieving transparent budget autonomy and pushing forward to achieve statehood for all District residents."

Noteworthy events

Events and activity following the death of George Floyd

See also: Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

Bowser was mayor of Washington, D.C. during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Washington, D.C., began on Friday, May 29, 2020, with marches through the city and a gathering at the White House. On May 30, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy activated and deployed the D.C. National Guard. On May 31, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) instituted a curfew.

To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right.

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a White officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident. The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process." On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in relation to Floyd's death. Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Muriel Bowser

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Angela Alsobrooks  source  (D)	U.S. Senate Maryland (2024)	Primary	Won General
Joe Biden  source  (D, Working Families Party)	President of the United States (2020)	Primary	Won General
Michael Bloomberg  source	President of the United States (2020)	Primary	Withdrew in Convention

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bowser is the daughter of Joe and Joan Bowser. She has four siblings.

See also

• Washington, D.C.
• Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (2022)
• Municipal elections in Washington, D.C. (2022)

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Vincent Gray (D)	Mayor of Washington D.C. 2015-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Washington D.C. City Council Ward 4 2007-2015	Succeeded by -