The D.C. Board of Elections may not be finished counting votes until Mayor Vince Gray‘s term ends in January, but he just congratulated Ward 4 D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser, whose campaign had already declared victory, anyway. Which makes it pretty close to official: Bowser has won the Democratic nomination for mayor.
We’ll have more news here tonight and tomorrow. In the meantime, read our profile of her from last year, shortly after she got into the race:
If you designed the perfect candidate for a D.C. mayoral election at this moment in the city’s history, you might come up with someone a lot like Muriel Bowser.
An African-American native Washingtonian who can appeal to longtime District residents who feel threatened by the city’s rapid growth? Check. Bona fides with white voters west of Rock Creek Park and in gentrifying neighborhoods elsewhere who supported Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee three years ago, many of whom now feel their votes against Gray have been validated? Check. A woman in a city where women tend to vote more often than men? Check. A home base in vote-rich, kingmaking Ward 4? Check. Scandal-free? Check.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery