Like mentor Adrian Fenty, Muriel Bowser rose to power in the Ward 4 D.C. Council seat. And now that she has followed Fenty into the mayor’s office, she wants to move just as quickly.

In her victory speech at the Howard Theatre, Bowser characterized her upcoming administration as one that will tackle a range of problems, from residential displacement to women’s issues. Bowser’s victory celebration began with a video in which Bowser told the audience that they would “get to work.”

“We know that we are Washington, D.C., and we must move faster,” Bowser said in her speech, characterizing the election results as proof that the “status quo” needs to be changed.

Bowser was flanked onstage by the District Democratic establishment that helped her whallop rivals David Catania and Carol Schwartz, including defeated mayoral primary rivals Jack Evans and Vincent Orange and newly elected ward Councilmembers Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau. Defeated incumbent Vince Gray was evident only in the form of a congratulatory press release where he promised a smooth transition. (Bowser’s election also drew partygoer/disgraced former D.C. Council chairman Kwame Brown, who tells LL that Bowser will be a “wonderful” mayor.)

Bowser opened by thanking her family, and acknowledged Catania’s claim that she was backed by a “machine.”

“Some call you a machine,” Bowser said. “I just call you Team Muriel.”

Photos by Darrow Montgomery