How candidates scored on our endorsement questionnaire
As part of Free DC’s endorsements in the 2026 DC elections, our Elections Committee developed a candidate questionnaire to better understand the candidates’ positions on DC’s occupation, Congressional interference, and other matters related to our organizing. The Elections Committee sent the questionnaire to all candidates for Delegate and Mayor. See the candidates’ full questionnaire responses.
To assess these responses, the Committee developed a scoring rubric to apply to each answer. Members of the Committee developed this scoring methodology before any responses were received.
Each Committee member scored each candidate’s answers using this methodology. The scores of all Committee members were averaged into a final score. The final scores are now available below.
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.
Hear from the top-scoring candidates
On Saturday, March 14, Free DC community members and the wider DC community are invited to hear from the top-scoring candidates in the race for Mayor and Delegate at the Free DC Candidate Forum. Seats are limited: register to attend.