DC Endorsements
DC needs leaders who will side with our communities, not this regime. A number of key seats in DC will be up for election in 2026, including Mayor, Delegate to the U.S. House, and more. As attacks on DC increase, we need leaders in these positions who will be outspoken champions for DC’s rights and the people here.
In recognition of this, Free DC’s Election Committee will run a formal candidate endorsement process for DC’s 2026 campaign cycle. This page includes all the information you need to know about this process and how to participate.
Process + Criteria
Elections Committee
In October 2025, Free DC opened nominations for an inaugural Elections Committee. This Committee is responsible for developing the process for our electoral endorsements for priority races, and facilitating candidate and community participation in that process. In December, we announced the seven members of this Committee. These Committee members have led the work to create the materials and process outlined here.
Election Committee Process
Free DC’s DC endorsements will be based on three factors:
A Candidate Questionnaire, which will be scored by the members of the Elections Committee (50%)
A Candidate Forum, which will include a straw poll at the end (20%)
Community Voting, which will be open to DC residents who have completed our Campaign Orientation. Anyone who completes a Campaign Orientation by March 14, 2026 will be eligible to participate in the vote (30%)
The Election Committee is committed to making our endorsements process for priority races transparent and participatory. See the full details of our process and considerations for endorsement.
Priority Races
The Elections Committee decided to run endorsement processes for two races that are most closely related to our work: DC Mayor and Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Free DC may consider additional endorsements at a later date.
Candidate Questionnaires
All candidates in our priority races were invited to complete a Candidate Questionnaire to share their their positions on protecting Home Rule and countering federal attacks. Questionnaires were sent to candidates on file with DC Board of Elections or the Federal Elections Commission as of January 11, 2026.
Responses from candidates for DC Mayor
Anthony Muhammad — No response
Ernest Johnson — No response
Jose Font — No response
Kathy Henderson — No response
Muhsin Boe Umar — No response
Regan Jones — No response
Stanley V Lawson Sr — No response
Terri "Ginger" Little — No response
Vincent Orange — No response
Responses from candidates for Delegate to the U.S. House
Greg Maye — No response
Robert L. Matthews — No response
Questionnaire Scores
The Elections Committee developed a scoring rubric to assess questionnaire responses.
Each Committee member scored each candidate’s answers using the rubrics above. The scores of all Committee members were combined into an averaged, final score. The final scores are now available:
Scores for Candidates for Mayor
Janeese Lewis George: 68.7
Yaida Ford: 55.1
Gary Goodweather: 54.8
Kenyan McDuffie: 54.75
Rhonda Hamilton: 49.7
Robert Gross: 25.25
Scores for Candidates for Delegate
Robert White: 52.4
Deirde Brown: 51.2
Kelly Mikel Williams: 49.4
Sandi Stevens: 45.8
Kinney Zalesne: 45.25
Trent Holbrook: 42.2
Kymone Freeman: 38
Gordon Chaffin: 37
Brooke Pinto: 34.4
All candidates who submitted questionnaire responses remain eligible to earn Free DC’s endorsement. The candidates with the top four scores* in each race have been invited to participate in our Candidate Forum on Saturday, March 14. As of March 5, all invited candidates have accepted the invitation to participate.
* Sandi Stevens scored fourth in our rankings in the race for Delegate. However, she was disqualified from participation in the Forum based on clear inconsistencies in her statements about how long she has been a DC resident. Requests for clarification were not answered.
