Trayon White

Trayon White (Democratic Party) is a member of the Washington D.C. City Council, representing Ward 8. He assumed office on August 8, 2025. His current term ends on January 2, 2029.

White (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the Washington D.C. City Council to represent Ward 8. He won in the special general election on July 15, 2025.

Biography

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White earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He also holds a master's degree in public administration from Southeastern University. White is the founder of nonprofit organizations including Manpower DC, Helping Inner City Kids Succeed, Inc., and Bold Brothas for Christ.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on July 15, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Trayon White (D)	27.7	2,392
		Sheila Bunn (D)	24.8	2,140
		Mike Austin (D)	24.4	2,103
		Salim Adofo (D)	22.4	1,932
		Oliver Roy (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	Mary Roach (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	Delonte Ford Singh (R) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	63

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,630
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for White in this election.

2024

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

The following candidates ran in the general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Trayon White (D)	75.8	20,371
		Nate Derenge (R)	14.8	3,981
		Michael Reese (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	Michael Brown (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	Khadijah Clark (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	June Sherman (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Olivia Henderson (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	9.3	2,509

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,861
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Incumbent Trayon White defeated Salim Adofo and Rahman Branch in the Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on June 4, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Trayon White	51.5	3,835
	Salim Adofo	27.7	2,063
	Rahman Branch	20.3	1,511
	Other/Write-in votes	0.6	41

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,450
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Kevin Cannaday (D)
Markus Batchelor (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Nate Derenge advanced from the Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on June 4, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Nate Derenge	79.7	126
	Other/Write-in votes	20.3	32

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 158
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Quinn K. Nii (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for White in this election.

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.
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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.
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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.
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2020

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Incumbent Trayon White defeated Frederick Hill III, Christopher Cole, and Nate Derenge in the general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Trayon White (D)	78.8	25,340
	Submit photo	Frederick Hill III (Independent)	14.8	4,745
	Submit photo	Christopher Cole (Independent)	3.2	1,023
		Nate Derenge (R)	2.2	717
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	316

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,141
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Free Moore (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Incumbent Trayon White defeated Mike Austin, Yaida Ford, and Stuart Anderson in the Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Trayon White	58.2	5,063
		Mike Austin	27.3	2,376
	Submit photo	Yaida Ford	7.5	656
	Submit photo	Stuart Anderson	4.7	405
		Other/Write-in votes	2.3	197

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,697
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Nate Derenge advanced from the Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 on June 2, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Nate Derenge	60.6	43
	Other/Write-in votes	39.4	28

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

Trayon White defeated incumbent LaRuby May, Aaron Holmes, Bonita Goode, and Maurice Dickens in the Washington, D.C. Council Ward 8 Democratic primary election.^[2]

Washington, D.C. Council Ward 8, Democratic Primary Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Trayon White	51.40%	4,272
LaRuby May Incumbent	43.12%	3,584
Aaron Holmes	3.37%	280
Bonita Goode	0.90%	75
Maurice Dickens	0.84%	70
Write-in votes	0.36%	30
Total Votes		8,311
Source: District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Primary Election 2016 - Certified Results," June 28, 2016

Trayon White ran unopposed in the Washington, D.C. Council Ward 8 general election.^[2]

Washington, D.C. Council Ward 8, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Trayon White (unopposed)	98.20%	27,174
		Write-in votes	1.8%	497
Total Votes				27,671
Source: District of Columbia Board of Elections, "General Election 2016 - Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2016

Endorsements

The following table displays endorsements issued in the 2016 election:

Candidate endorsements
Candidate	The Washington Post^[3]	D.C. for Democracy^[4]	Gertrude Stein Democratic Club^[5]	Democrats for Education Reform^[6]
At-large
Vincent Orange (Incumbent)
David Garber
Robert White
District 2
Jack Evans (Incumbent)
District 4
Brandon Todd (Incumbent)
Leon Andrews Jr.
Ron Austin
Calvin Gurley
District 7
Yvette Alexander (Incumbent)
Delmar Chesley
Vincent Gray
Grant Thompson
District 8
LaRuby May (Incumbent)
Maurice Dickens
Bonita Goode
Aaron Holmes
Trayon White

2015

See also: Washington, D.C. municipal elections, 2015

The city of Washington, D.C. held special elections for city council on April 28, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 28, 2015.^[7]

In the election to fill the Ward 8 seat of the late Marion Barry, LaRuby May defeated Jauhar Abraham, Stuart Anderson, Karlene Armstead, Marion C. Barry, Nate Bennett Fleming, Sheila Bunn, Greta Fuller, Eugene D. Kinlow, Anthony Muhammad, Genora Akosua Reed, "S.S." Sandra Seegars, Keita Vanterpool, Leonard Watson, Sr., Trayon "WardEight" White and Natalie Williams.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Washington, D.C., City Council, Ward 8, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
LaRuby May	27%	1,955
Trayon "WardEight" White	25.9%	1,877
Sheila Bunn	10.2%	741
Eugene D. Kinlow	9.6%	693
Natalie Williams	9.4%	683
Marion C. Barry	7.6%	554
"S.S." Sandra Seegars	4.6%	331
Anthony Muhammad	1.7%	123
Leonard Watson, Sr.	1.7%	123
Greta Fuller	1.4%	100
Keita Vanterpool	0.6%	46
Jauhar Abraham	0.2%	17
Stuart Anderson	0.1%	10
Total Votes		5,949
Source: DC Board of Elections, "Official election results," accessed May 18, 2015

Campaign themes

2025

2016

White's campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:

“

Trayon White is a servant leader, dedicating himself to bettering the individual lives of Ward 8 residents while building a more just and equitable Ward 8 for all to live, work and play within. Inspired to lead by years of service to his fellow community members in areas such as public safety and access to food, education, health, shelter and jobs, Trayon will never stop working for the priorities of Ward 8's residents.

Here are just a few issues that Trayon is focused on:

Job Creation

One of the most pressing concerns for residents in Ward 8 is the lack of job creation and unemployment. I plan to increase employment opportunities for our residents, young mid-career and seasoned. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:

Ensure job training resources available for all residents who are seeking employment
Work with the D.C. Department of Employment Services to target programs for residents in Ward 8
Attract new business capital to Ward 8 and develop a “Best Businesses” in Ward 8 list that is based on the number of constituents they hire
Expand the number of incentives business owners have access to when they hire Ward 8 residents
Attract new and diversified business capital by leveraging federal and local government dollars while exploring direct investment by partners within and outside the Ward.
Foster and support diverse career opportunities for Ward 8 residents, specifically within the Federal government, Professional services including architects, auditors, engineers, doctors and lawyers, and Health Services including allied health professions, physicians, dentistry, midwifery, nursing, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, psychology, and other health professions.

Public Safety

Crime in Washington DC increased by 54 percent in 2015. I will advocate for more preventive measures to decrease crime in our community. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:

Partner with the Metropolitan Police Department, individuals and organizations within the community to build nonviolent approaches to prevent crime and build peace. Guided by the success of national organizations such as Guardian Angels and Cure Violence, and consistently push for policies that treat crime as an epidemic that can be cured by systematically and structurally addressing its root causes

Introduce the "Safe Way Home" Act whereby the council member will offer emergency funding to community organizations and concerned community members to implement programming that focus specifically on mentoring and youth engagement activities. This funding will be offered to organizations that serve the Ward 8 communities that have the highest crime rate. This initiative is proposed to be in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and Events DC. As part of the program, the participating organizations will commit to monthly community meetings where community concerns and the progress of the participating organizations will be discussed. This bill will compliment the NEAR Act of 2015 that was proposed by Councilmember McDuffie.

Provide ongoing workshops for seniors on crime preventive measures

Partner with CSOSA on anger management community based programming

Pilot a community mediation program to resolve early conflicts among youth and adults

Support community organizations that work with youth across Ward 8. This includes bringing together and building a robust communication network between nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, health service providers, and local schools. The issue of crime is multifaceted and must be coordinated through broad and diverse partnerships and approaches at a community level

Education

As your Ward 8 School board representative, I worked vigorously to ensure that our students have the highest quality of education, ensured that parents were empowered, and fought for schools to remain open. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:

Offer more incentives and resources for summer enrichment and after school programs
Promote additional career and vocational training for Ward 8 youth and adults
Work with Ward 8 school leaders to recruit and retain the highest quality teachers and school leaders
Work with philanthropic groups to support additional funding for Ward 8 Schools
Champion a variety of programs aimed at decreasing youth violence
Work with local school leaders to increase programs that support daily attendance and decrease incidents of truancy
Work with local school leaders and community members on innovative strategies to improve graduation rates in Ward 8
Propose a simplified way for small nonprofit organizations to work with youth through the public school system. These partnerships will ensure that youth receive diverse opportunities, mentoring, support, access to before and after school programs and intervention when needed. By strengthening the support system around our youth we can guarantee an increase in educational and career attainment
Provide incentives and support for Ward 8 residents of all ages to further their education. By partnering with the University of the District of Columbia and other local universities, we will expand opportunities for Ward 8 residents to further their desires for the personal and professional rewards of achieving higher levels of education.

Housing for All

I believe that housing is a human right and should be safe, habitable, and affordable with freedom from forced eviction. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:

Offer mortgage and rental assistance to seniors and ensure housing that they can afford

To encourage homeownership, he will fight to increase funding for the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP). Currently, qualified HPAP applicants can receive up to $54,000.00 in financial assistance to purchase single-family homes, condominiums, and cooperative apartments. I will work to increase the financial assistance for first time home buyers by at least 25%.

Champion the fight against Ward 8 resident displacement by proposing legislation that would offer a tax benefit to homeowners who live near major development project. As opposed to claiming property deductions and credits the following tax year, residents will be able to receive relief when they pay their biannual property taxes.

Work with the Office of the Attorney General to enforce District Housing Laws. Together they will hold developers and landlords who house residents in poor and dilapidated buildings accountable to ensure that tenants live in safe and habitable conditions.

Provide high quality information about the home ownership programs for diverse income groups in Ward 8

Provide community workshops on affordable rental and home ownership options in Ward 8

^[11]

”

—Trayon White (2016), ^[12]

Noteworthy events

Felony bribery charge (2024)

On August 18, 2024 the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested White on one count of bribery. The indictment alleges White accepted $156,000 to agree to extend government contracts.^[13]

In a statement, White's office said "The Office of Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. acknowledges the recent criminal complaint against Councilmember White. We recognize the seriousness of this matter. We want to assure Ward 8 residents and stakeholders that our office remains fully operational and steadfast in our commitment to serving the public. Our staff continues to work diligently to address the needs of our constituents, ensuring that essential services and initiatives are not disrupted."^[14]

Tested positive for coronavirus on December 17, 2021

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021


Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.

White announced on December 17, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19.^[15]

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Trayon White (D)	Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8 2017-2025	Succeeded by Trayon White (D)
Preceded by -	Member District of Columbia Public Schools 2011-2016	Succeeded by -

[bio-1] LinkedIn, "Trayon White," accessed May 12, 2016

[dc-2] 2.0 ^2.1 District of Columbia Board of Elections, "List of Candidates in the June 14, 2016 Primary Election," March 17, 2016

[3] The Washington Post, "For D.C. Council," May 27, 2016

[4] Washington City Paper, "Lefty Group Endorses Green Team Foes," April 18, 2016

[5] Washington Blade, "Gray wins Stein Club endorsement," May 10, 2016

[6] Democrats for Education Reform, "Democrats for Education Reform Announces Endorsements for Key 2016 D.C. Council Primaries," April 6, 2016

[7] District of Columbia Board of Elections, "April 28, 2015 Special Election to Fill Vacancies in the Offices of Ward 4 and Ward 8 Members of the Council of the District of Columbia Calendar of Important Dates and Deadlines," accessed February 2, 2015

[8] District of Columbia Board of Elections, "List of Candidates in the April 28, 2015 Ward 4 and Ward 8 Members of the Council Special Election," accessed February 2, 2015

[9] District of Columbia Board of Elections, "2015 Special Election Results," accessed April 28, 2015

[10] The Washington Post, "Bowser ally LaRuby May victorious in Ward 8 council race by a 1.09% margin," May 8, 2015

[quotedisclaimer-11] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[12] Trayon White for Ward 8, "Issues," accessed May 12, 2016

[13] Justice.gov, "D.C. Councilmember Arrested on Bribery Charge," accessed August 20, 2024

[14] Fox 5, "DC Councilman Trayon White's Office releases statement following arrest on bribery charge," accessed August 20, 2024

[15] DCist, "D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Tests Positive For COVID-19," December 17, 2021

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Trayon White

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Green primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Mayor of Washington D.C.

2020

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 8

2016

Endorsements

2015

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2022

2020

2016

Noteworthy events

Felony bribery charge (2024)

Tested positive for coronavirus on December 17, 2021

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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