Vincent Orange

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Vincent Orange

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5

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Washington D.C. City Council At-large

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 21, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of the Pacific

Graduate

Georgetown University

Law

Howard University

Personal

Profession

Attorney and CPA

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Vincent Orange (Democratic Party) was an at-large member of the Washington D.C. City Council. Orange assumed office in 2011. Orange left office in 2016.

Orange (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Washington D.C. City Council to represent Ward 5. Orange lost in the Democratic primary on June 21, 2022.

Orange previously served on the D.C. Council from 1999 to 2007, representing Ward 5.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Orange holds a B.S. in business administration and communications from the University of the Pacific, a master's degree in taxation from Georgetown University, and a J.D. from Howard University. His professional experience includes working as an attorney and a certified professional accountant.

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in Washington, D.C. (2022)

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5

Zachary Parker defeated Clarence Lee Jr. in the general election for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zachary Parker (D)	93.9	25,554
	Submit photo	Clarence Lee Jr. (R)	5.4	1,474
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	196

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,224
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5 on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zachary Parker	43.5	7,761
	Submit photo	Faith Gibson Hubbard	24.4	4,353
		Vincent Orange	15.3	2,736
	Submit photo	Gordon Fletcher	10.9	1,941
	Submit photo	Kathy Henderson	4.4	787
	Submit photo	Gary Johnson	0.8	149
	Submit photo	Art Lloyd	0.4	69
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	37

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,833
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5

Clarence Lee Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5 on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Clarence Lee Jr.	82.7	177
		Other/Write-in votes	17.3	37

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 214
= 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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2020

See also: City elections in Washington, D.C. (2020)

General election

General election for Washington D.C. City Council At-large (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Washington D.C. City Council At-large on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert White (D)	26.0	139,208
✔		Christina Henderson (Independent)	14.8	79,189
		Vincent Orange (Independent)	12.0	64,389
	Submit photo	Ed Lazere (Independent)	11.5	61,882
		Marcus Goodwin (Independent)	11.3	60,636
		Markus Batchelor (Independent)	3.6	19,095
	Submit photo	Marya Pickering (R)	3.3	17,883
	Submit photo	Mónica Palacio (Independent)	2.5	13,635
	Submit photo	Ann Wilcox (G)	1.8	9,793
	Submit photo	Franklin Garcia (Independent)	1.7	8,972
	Submit photo	Jeanné Lewis (Independent)	1.4	7,417
	Submit photo	Chander Jayaraman (Independent)	1.4	7,365
	Submit photo	Claudia Barragan (Independent)	1.0	5,607
	Submit photo	A'Shia Howard (Independent)	1.0	5,329
	Submit photo	Joseph Bishop-Henchman (L)	1.0	5,173
	Submit photo	Will Merrifield (Independent)	0.9	5,086
	Submit photo	Kathy Henderson (Independent)	0.9	4,803
	Submit photo	Alexander Padro (Independent)	0.7	3,780
		Calvin Gurley (Independent)	0.6	3,203
	Submit photo	Michangelo Scruggs (Independent)	0.5	2,874
	Submit photo	Keith Silver (Independent)	0.5	2,605
		Mario Cristaldo (Independent)	0.4	2,384
	Submit photo	Rick Murphree (Independent)	0.3	1,851
	Submit photo	Eric Rogers (Independent)	0.3	1,839
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	2,266

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 536,264
= 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

• Addison Sarter (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Robert White advanced from the Democratic primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert White	97.2	93,264
		Other/Write-in votes	2.8	2,669

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 95,933
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large (2 seats)

Marya Pickering advanced from the Republican primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Marya Pickering	90.2	2,056
		Other/Write-in votes	9.8	224

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,280
= 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.

Green primary election

Green primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large (2 seats)

Ann Wilcox advanced from the Green primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Ann Wilcox	85.4	409
		Other/Write-in votes	14.6	70

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 479
= 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 Washington D.C. City Council At-large (2 seats)

Joseph Bishop-Henchman advanced from the Libertarian primary for Washington D.C. City Council At-large on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joseph Bishop-Henchman	86.5	135
		Other/Write-in votes	13.5	21

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 156
= 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.

2016

Robert White defeated incumbent Vincent Orange and David Garber in the Washington, D.C. Council At-large Democratic primary election.

Washington, D.C. Council At-large, Democratic Primary Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Robert White	42.72%	38,805
Vincent Orange Incumbent	40.74%	37,009
David Garber	15.67%	14,237
Write-in votes	0.87%	787
Total Votes		90,838
Source: District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Primary Election 2016 - Certified Results," June 28, 2016

Endorsements

The following table displays endorsements issued in the 2016 election:

Candidate endorsements
Candidate	The Washington Post	D.C. for Democracy	Gertrude Stein Democratic Club	Democrats for Education Reform
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

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

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Vincent Orange did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Vincent Orange did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

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

“	My vision for Washington, DC, is that of a world-class city operating at its fullest potential. An extremely vibrant city that continues to beckon individuals, couples and families to live in, visit and experience its culture, arts, restaurants, retail, entertainment, sports venues, neighborhoods and tourism. I envision a city where the dollar circulates downtown, uptown, around-town and in our neighborhoods - a city that embraces diversity, fresh ideas, new residents and long-time constituents. A city where residents live, work, play, entertain, learn, enjoy access to healthcare and have a great quality of life in a very safe environment - a city where prosperity, business opportunities and jobs are plentiful for its residents. My vision for the nation's capital includes a government that is efficient, effective, accessible, and transparent. A local government that truly partners with its residents and the local business community. Through this partnership, development opportunities are realized through projects such as: The Anacostia and Southwest Waterfronts; The Capitol Riverfront; The Baseball Stadium District and its economic spin-off; The Convention Center hotel; The old Convention Center site; Poplar Point; St. Elizabeth’s development featuring the Department of Homeland Security; New Town at Capital City Market; and McMillan Reservoir. These projects and others, and the increased marketing efforts on tourism in the District, will generate employment and business opportunities for our District of Columbia residents. In addition, the economy rebounds and our beloved City will have taken full advantage. Thus, tremendous revenue is being produced allowing for the reduction of individual and business taxes. The implemented affordable housing task force strategy creates 55,000 new affordable residential units with 19,000 apartments. Families representing 30 to 80 percent of the area median income, now have real housing options. Our educational system and policies continue to be in full swing, including $2 billion of school construction and modernization, resulting in outstanding confidence, enrollment and achievement in our District of Columbia Public Schools. The educational policies are ensuring that our 3 and 4 year olds are prepared for kindergarten, that students are reading independently and, understand the basic fundamental principles of mathematics upon being promoted to the 4th grade. Our 8th graders are reading at or above grade level and pre-algebra is part of their curriculum. Our high school graduates possess diplomas of value, and are ready for college, the workforce and/or business opportunities. Our vocational and adult training programs are operational and extremely successful. The connection between education, employment and economic development occurs and produces outstanding results. These connections are now an integral part of the way the city operates. The First Source Program is being enforced and producing 51% DC residents as new hires on city-funded projects. The Living Wage Act of 2006 is being enforced and District employees are earning at least $12.10 per hour on city-funded projects. The green revolution in the District of Columbia is evident and green-collar jobs are plentiful. Smart Grid technology has been fully deployed with the installation of 288,000 smart meters and smart thermostats. This two-way communication system with District residences is a dream come true. The smart meters are identifying the location and magnitude of outages without customers calling in, response time is excellence, estimated readings of energy usage has been eliminated and signals are sent directly to consumers to use less energy when wholesale energy prices are higher. A mere touch of the smart thermostat provides in real time your energy usage and cost. The Sustainable Energy Utility is achieving its goal of: Reducing DC's per-capita energy consumption; Increasing renewable energy generating capacity in the District; Reducing the growth of peak electricity demand; Improving the energy efficiency of low-income housing in the District; Reducing the growth of the energy demand of the District's largest energy users; and Increasing the number of green-collar jobs in the District of Columbia. Crime continues to decrease to record lows. We have collectively come together to address youth issues and the rehabilitation of juveniles in a responsible and safe manner. District agencies are in charge of rehabilitation and District judges are in charge of placement of juveniles. Ex-offenders are provided opportunities to re-enter the work place and pursue a good quality of life. Full voting rights have been achieved and realized for the District of Columbia. And yes, New Columbia, DC Statehood is on the horizon, well within our grasp and to be realized in my vision. With successful initiatives including focusing on education, economic development, job creation, sustainability and fiscal responsibility, I see greatness in the coming years for the District of Columbia. The vision for an excellent world-class city is achievable. Together, we can make this happen.	”
—Vincent Orange (2016),

Washington Post questionnaire

At-large incumbent Vincent Orange (D), Robert White (D), and David Garber (D) answered the following questions from The Washington Post in June 2016.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents?

Vincent Orange Voters should vote for me to continue receiving results they can count on. These results include a $15 per hour minimum wage, 5 days of sick leave pay for tipped wage workers, $635 million to be spent with D.C. small businesses, and pursuing real affordable housing for our D.C. residents. Currently, I am working to make UDC-Community College a tuition-free institution for obtaining associate degrees, making D.C. a free WiFi and Internet access jurisdiction to reduce the digital divide, and $1 billion dollars of affordable housing. David Garber District residents deserve an elected official who will be responsive to the diversity of needs that exist across the city. As a former two-term elected neighorhood commissioner (2010-2014), I am the only person in this race who has experience representing and advocating for neighborhood-level issues and interests. ( Editor’s note: White and Orange says he was president of a citizens association) I fought with parents to open a school that opened this past fall, made inclusivity and diversity in housing options a priority with new development, worked to bring amenities (parks, diverse transportation options, river recreation, retail and restaurants) to the waterfront. As a member of the council, my focus will be on being responsive and results-oriented, and making sure that this is a city that the diversity of residents that call DC home can live in for the long-term. Robert White I am the only candidate in this race who has a vision that includes all of our residents, and I am the only candidate that can bring the people of the District together to support the work required to make the District more inclusive. Vincent Orange’s record has been one of pay-to-play politics and election year horse-trading, and he has failed us on the job training program and affordable housing. In terms of the other person in the race, he has little professional experience and would do well to be further down a career pathway so that his contribution in the future could be substantive.

What should be the D.C. council’s number one priority?

Vincent Orange The number one priority should be fiscal responsibility. While being fiscally responsible, we can provide real affordable housing for our workforce, enhance school reform and modernization, implement homeless initiatives and provide for better public safety. David Garber I’ve lived in and been an active participant in a diverse set of communities across D.C. What’s become clear to me is that we still have a long way to go to have neighborhoods that are equitably served by amenities, economic opportunity and a great quality of life. There are still many communities being left behind, where commercial corridors are empty and kids don’t see a pathway to a success-filled future. The D.C. Council’s number one priority needs to be bringing opportunity to neighborhoods and residents who are still being left behind. Robert White Our first priority should be to hold oversight hearings on the Job Training Program, and set a milestone-based course for implementing a short-term plan to put the tens of millions of dollars in federal grant funds to work. Our residents need certifications and new skills that enable them to apply for some of the 50,000 job openings in the District – but for which many of our residents currently do not have the requisite education or skills. The Job Training Program has to be the means of moving individuals – and families – out of poverty and hourly wage jobs and into career-track positions.

What will you do to reduce the number of homeless families in the city?

Vincent Orange We must close D.C. General and implement the homeless shelter plan that includes all eight Wards participating. We must train our residents for job opportunities and provide wrap-around services where needed. Also, we must provide mobile shower buses for the homeless and free personal hygiene products for homeless women. David Garber I am supportive of the council’s plan to build housing for women and children experiencing homelessness in all wards of the city. As Council member, I will work to provide additional funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund, target and streamline processes for receiving housing services and subsidies, make sure we are including family-sized units in new affordable housing projects, and preserve existing affordable rental housing. Robert White We have to go into the homeless community and begin the conversation with each person to find the appropriate solution; not everyone who is homeless has become homeless for the same reasons. For families or individuals who are on the streets as a result of job losses or a loss of housing, we need short-term solutions, but we must also address the root causes of a lack of affordable housing, a lack of employment (which may result from a lack of skills), and a lack of education. We have to stabilize more families and position them for success in our city.

What do you see as the biggest threat to the District’s future – and how would you address it?

Vincent Orange Congress is the greatest threat to the District’s future. We must have budget autonomy and be able to enact laws that are beneficial to D.C. We have proven that we can maintain our own finances because we have balanced 22 consecutive budgets, we went from a fiscal year 1999 $518 million deficit to a fiscal year 2017 budget of $13.4 billion. Today we have over $2 billion in our rainy day fund. We are a financially sound city, and Congress should allow us to control our affairs. David Garber The biggest threat to the District’s future is the rising wave of violent crime that’s happening across the city. My five-step plan for reducing crime across the city focuses efforts on: increasing the number of officers and doing a better job of retaining officers in the Metropolitan Police Department, reinstating localized neighborhood crime units, addressing the underlying issues -- systemic poverty and economic opportunity -- that lead to crime, mentorship and incentive-based programs for at-risk young people and increasing transparency across agencies handling prosecution in the District. Robert White The future of the District is bright, but the question is whether we are willing to make that future an inclusive one or an exclusive one. So many people have suffered through D.C.s worst times, waiting for better days, but as a stronger D.C. is emerging, they are being shown the door. We must invest in the future of our middle class and low-income families. That starts with affordable housing, an improved job-training program, and stable households that then embrace and can participate in the education of their children as well as their own education.

What’s the biggest mistake the D.C. Council has made in recent years – and what would you have done differently?

Vincent Orange D.C. Council’s biggest mistake has been not ensuring the completion of the New Communities Initiative. This initiative provides for 1,645 affordable housing units in Barry Farms, Lincoln Heights, Northwest One and Park Morton. In addition, D.C. Council must provide $1 billion of affordable housing including to seniors on fixed income, homeless families and households making $30,000 to $60,000. Furthermore, the D.C. Council must mandate that our 3rd graders are reading independently and can add, subtract, multiply and divide upon entering the 4th grade; thus providing a pathway to middle school success and a pathway to graduate from high school. David Garber The Council’s biggest mistake in recent years has been the lack of oversight on school modernization projects across the city. There is no reason the District should be spending more per square foot than public charter schools on similar projects, and leaving some school communities in the dust while lining the pockets of those lucky enough to get non-compete construction contracts. My experience in communities and schools across the District, as well as my years working in the real estate and construction fields gives me the perfect level of experience to provide the oversight needed to force the District to be more responsible with D.C. taxpayer dollars, while improving more schools in neighborhoods across D.C. Robert White The Council, and specifically Vincent Orange, has dropped the ball on oversight of the job-training program. This is a cornerstone program and the lack of attention to it has had dire consequences on the lives of people losing ground in a city with rising costs. As chairman of the committee with oversight of the job-training program, Vincent Orange has either been grossly negligent or willfully uninterested in doing the real work required in his position.

See also

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

External links

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Candidate

Washington D.C. City Council Ward 5

Website

Personal

Website

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Council of the District of Columbia 2011-2016	Succeeded by Robert White