Washington, D.C., has had some of the most reliably blue voters in the nation since its allowance of three Electoral College votes in 1961. Yet, the Washington Examiner’s swing-state project covers the surrounding local area as well as competitive states, taking into account what voters in this region are concerned about.
The Washington Examiner is following the key issues voters care about as they prepare to vote for the next president of the United States. The specific issues being tracked are Social Security, crime, abortion, the economy, and immigration.
The issues were chosen with the help of the Associated Press issues tracker. The Washington Examiner subsequently compared five of the key issues in Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which topics are most important to voters in swing contests, as well as the local contests of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Here, you can track how important these various concerns are to the voters in the district on a rolling 30-day basis.
Crime
Crime was the top issue for district voters. As of October, crime rates are down by 17% compared to 2023, according to reports from the Metropolitan Police Department. There have been 144 homicides in Washington this year, which is a 33% decrease from October 2023.
Assault with a dangerous weapon is down by 27%, and robbery is down by 39%. Violent crime in total is down by 35%, and motor vehicle theft dropped by 31%.
This is a steep change from last year, though, which saw a general increase in crime throughout the district.
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Social Security
Social Security came in second place for voters. In the district, Social Security benefits are not taxed — even Social Security income that is taxed at the federal level is not taxed in Washington.
It was reported in Sept. 2024 that the Social Security Administration in Washington was experiencing IT issues both online and in person, restricting people’s access to the administration. The district has also added a warning on its government website about Social Security scams.
In May 2024, the Ways and Means Committee heard comments from the SSA’s commissioner, Martin O’Malley, about reforms to protect seniors and taxpayers. Many problems were highlighted, including improper payments from the SSA, the disability application backlog of over 1 million, and customer service phone calls that leave residents waiting for hours without getting issues resolved.
With steps being taken toward amending the SSA for the betterment of beneficiaries, it’s now a waiting game to see when changes will be made.
Abortion
Abortion ranked third for voters in the district despite the procedure being protected at every stage of pregnancy for both residents and visitors. Minors do not need parental notice or permission to receive an abortion, and there is no mandatory waiting period or counseling sessions.
Economy
Worries over the economy came in second-to-last for voters in the district. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Economic Analysis, the district’s gross domestic production has seen limited growth since 2022. Its GDP rate of 2.4% amounted to $179.2 billion in goods and services as of November 2023. The growth rate places the district 49th in the nation for economic growth.
Also in November 2023, Washington’s unemployment rate was higher than the national average, coming it at 5% and placing it as the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.
The local economy accounts for 0.65% of the nation’s economy, and unsurprisingly, the district’s highest-grossing industry was government enterprises, amounting to $55.347 billion, followed by professional, scientific, and technical services, valuing at $39.06 billion. Educational services saw 5.1% growth, and real estate grew by 16.9%.
Immigration
Immigration ranks last for voters. With 1 in 7 district residents being immigrants themselves and 1 in 9 having at least one immigrant parent, it’s an unsurprising ranking.
Statistics from the American Immigration Council show that of the 98,500 immigrants in the district, 71,700 are in the workforce, accounting for 17.9% of it. The STEM industry consists of 21.1% immigrant workers, preceded only by the finance industry with 21.6%. There are 11,457 international students studying in Washington, D.C., with an economic contribution of $525.5 million.
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As of 2018, immigrants almost outpace U.S.-born district residents in higher education as 58% of immigrants hold a college or higher degree and 61% of U.S.-born adults hold degrees. Immigrants also make up 30% of entrepreneurs, seeing $172.4 million in business income. As of 2022, immigrants paid $2.2 billion in taxes and had just under $5 billion in spending power.
Of all the immigrants in the district, 52.5% are naturalized, 18,300 are eligible for naturalization, and 13.3% are undocumented.
