Aside from the results of federal midterm elections, the results of local D.C. elections were tallied and announced Tuesday. As expected, Democrats continued their domination of Washington city politics, winning every race by a large majority.
Muriel Bowser, an AU alumna, won the mayoral race with 76 percent of the vote, becoming the first D.C mayor to win reelection in 16 years. Other Democrats who won with a large majority of the vote were Eleanor Holmes Norton for Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Phil Mendelson for Chairman of the D.C. City Council, and Michael Brown, who will remain the District’s shadow representative in the U.S. Senate.
“Let’s think about the great city of Washington, D.C. and all the things we can do in the next four years,” Bowser told a crowd gathered at Franklin Hall during her victory speech, according to The Washington Post.
The night was a good one for incumbents, including Elissa Silverman, a council member who has emerged as a key rival of the mayor. Bowser had endorsed Silverman’s opponent, independent candidate Dionne Reeder, and actively fundraised on her behalf.
However, Democrat Anita Bonds received 44.35 percent of the vote and Silverman received 26.61 percent, allowing both candidates to hold onto their seats.
In the AU area, Mary Cheh, the current council member representing Ward 3, won her race with about 74 percent of the vote. Cheh has been the representative of Ward 3, which encompasses American University Park and other nearby neighborhoods, since 2006.
Taylor Berlin, the AU junior who was appointed to represent AU students on Ward 3D’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission last spring, was elected to remain in the position after running unopposed.
