Residents of Washington, D.C., headed to the polls for a slew of local primary elections on Tuesday in a cycle that has been dominated by rising crime rates in the city as well as high cost of living.
Five seats on the local D.C. Council were up for grabs on election night, with all but one seeing its incumbent win reelection. The exception was the ward represented by Councilmember Vincent Gray, who is retiring after his term expires in November. Gray will be replaced by whoever wins the Democratic primary, which remained uncalled as of 12:24 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The election also attracted widespread attention as it marked the first time noncitizens in the city could cast their ballots in the city council races, thanks to a new law passed by local legislators last year.
Here are four key takeaways from the city’s primaries:
Noncitizens cast ballots for first time
The primary elections allowed the city to debut its new law allowing noncitizens to cast their ballots deciding city laws and electing members of the Council of the District of Columbia.
At least 500 noncitizens were registered to vote in the district by the end of May, according to Fox News, which included voters who identified as Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Local lawmakers passed a bill in 2023 to allow legal noncitizens to vote in city elections, arguing permanent residents who work and pay taxes in Washington should have a say in local policies.
That law extends to any legal noncitizen who has lived in the district for more than 30 days.
The law has since received pushback from congressional Republicans, who have repeatedly attempted to overturn the local provision since its passage. Most recently, the House voted to ban noncitizens from voting in local elections in Washington, D.C., with several dozen Democrats breaking with party leadership to support the measure.
However, that legislation is unlikely to be considered by the Democratic-led Senate.
Norton wins primary as non-voting House delegate
House Del. Eleanor Norton (D) won her primary challenge, paving the way for her to be elected to her 19th term representing Washington, D.C. in the House.
Norton plays a unique role in Congress as she is only recognized as a representative with limited powers. Although Norton cannot participate in floor votes, she is able to vote in committee and offer legislative amendments. As a result, much of her role is also dedicated to advocating for D.C. statehood, which would allow her to become a full-voting member.
Most recently, she has turned that attention to pushing back against House Republicans who have sought to overturn a number of local D.C. laws since winning the majority last year. One such example is a bill currently under consideration that would allow Congress to exert its oversight power over the D.C. Council to block local legislation pertaining to public safety and what Republicans consider to be “soft-on-crime” sentencing.
House Republicans also managed to overturn the city’s overhaul of its criminal code that would eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences, establish jury trials for nearly all misdemeanor cases, and reduce the maximum penalties for crimes such as carjackings or robberies. That effort was successful in both the House and Senate and was later signed by Biden.
Norton faced a challenge from Kelly Mikel Williams, who has experience working in local and federal government. Williams previously ran against Norton in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary.
Norton won the primary after receiving 81% of the votes with 70% of ballots tallied.
Robert White handily wins reelection to DC at-large council seat
Councilman Robert White cruised to reelection, easily defeating former comedian Rodney “Red” Grant for the at-large seat.
White won after receiving 82% of the vote with 68% of the ballots tallied in the district, according to the New York Times. His victory puts him in position to win reelection in November, as Democrats are favored to win all council seats in the district.
White has served on the Council of the District of Columbia since 2016.
Janeese George wins reelection despite ‘soft-on-crime’ criticism
Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George sailed to reelection on Tuesday despite facing challenges from two opponents who have criticized the first-term lawmaker for her stance on public safety issues.
George won reelection after receiving 66% of the vote with about 83% of ballots tallied, according to the New York Times. Challengers Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Lisa Gore and Paul Johnson received 28% and 5%, respectively.
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Gore and Johnson sought to portray George as being too soft on crime while citing record-high crime rates the district has reported over the last few years. George pushed back on those arguments, noting she was the only candidate who has previously worked as a prosecutor, which she said would help with reining in crime around the capital.
Crime has become a focal point of local elections in Washington, especially as the district has garnered national attention from congressional Republicans who have criticized Democratic leadership in the district for the rising crime rates. Crime in the district was up by 30% last year, which has caused the number of Metropolitan Police Department officers to dwindle, according to GOP lawmakers.
