DCNOW Congratulates D.C. Councilmember Doni Crawford

By: Miriam Edelman

DCNOW congratulates new D.C. Councilmember Doni Crawford. The D.C. Council appointed her to replace former Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, whose term will end in January 2027. Crawford’s service on the Council means that three of the six women on the D.C. Council serve in at-large positions.   

On January 5, 2026, McDuffie resigned presumably so he could run for Mayor as a Democrat. In December 2025, when he announced he would resign from the Council, he did not answer questions about the Mayoral race.

McDuffie served in one of two Council seats reserved for people of the non-majority political party.  According to the D.C. charter, “not more than two of the at-large members shall be nominated by the same political party.” As D.C. is mainly Democratic, two at-large seats are filled by non-Democrats. As of 2018, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut have similar laws about minority party representation.

However, some of the people who have served in those two Council seats seem to actually be Democrats who dropped their political party affiliation to run for these positions. Some had even run for office as Democrats before changing to Independent so they could be eligible for the non-majority party Council seats. Some were Democratic elected officials before serving in a non-majority party Council seat. For example, McDuffie was a registered Democrat for most of his career in politics and served as a Democratic Councilmember; he changed his party affiliation to Independent in order to run for one of the two-non majority seats.

McDuffie could have stayed on as an Independent Councilmember and run for Mayor.  However, as D.C. has always elected Democratic Mayors, he would have been at a disadvantage in a Mayoral race if he did not run as a Democrat. Reportedly, legal experts thought that McDuffie would have to resign from the Council so he could run for Mayor as a Democrat. In January 2026, McDuffie became a Democrat and entered the Mayoral race. 

For the first time, the Council had to choose a new at-large D.C. Councilmember almost a year after it expelled a Councilmember for the only time in history. In the past, D.C.’s Democratic Party chose a replacement. However, as McDuffie was in a non-majority seat, a political party could not choose his replacement. D.C.’s Home Rule Act states, “With respect to a vacancy on the Council of a member elected at large who is not affiliated with any political party, the Council shall appoint a similarly nonaffiliated person to fill such vacancy until such vacancy can be filled in a special election.”

The Council chose McDuffie’s replacement to serve through the June 2026 special election. The process to replace McDuffie was somewhat contentious. Councilmember Zachary Parker (Ward 5) though that Mendelson had too much power. Parker said: “He will handpick who he thinks it should be and put it forth, probably after whipping votes with people” and “That’s not a process. And I would just say, the [home rule] charter says ‘the council,’ not ‘the chairman,’ respectfully, so if members don’t agree with that process then we have within our means to come up with a process that we do agree with.” Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and others wanted the names and resumes of potential D.C. Councilmembers to be circulated. However, Mendelson did not want to release this information because he wanted to avoid leaks to the press. He preferred to talk with Councilmembers individually. Lewis George and Councilmember Brianne Nadeau were drafting questions to send to all candidates. Councilmember Robert White commented that the Council should have “objective criteria.” Councilmember Charles Allen said in a video that he would want voters to choose a replacement. However, the law prohibits that option. Allen stated that if the individual who the Council chooses runs in the special election, that person may have an advantage.

Mendelson acknowledged problems. He said “Whoever I select to nominate is going to be unwanted by some people, and they’re of course going to say that it was unfair.” He also spoke against the idea that he was taking over. He said, “Given the fact that I have to pick somebody who has consensus from at least a majority of the council members, it is inaccurate to say that.” Mendelson said he was looking for a person wo knows about the government and is familiar with the budget.

On January 19, 2026, Council Chair Mendelson nominated Crawford to replace McDuffie. Crawford, a then-36-year old resident of Ward 5, had just spent four years working for McDuffie. In 2019, she came to Washington, D.C. She had worked at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute on affording housing. She served as Legislative Director and then the Committee Director for the McDuffie-led Council Committee on Business and Economic Development. A few months before Mendelson nominated Crawford, when she knew that McDuffie’s seat might become vacant, Crawford changed her political party from Democrat to Independent. Crawford did not indicate whether she will run in the upcoming special election.

Mendelson selected Crawford from 42 individuals, including reportedly former Councilmembers Jack Evans, Kwame Brown, and Elissa Silverman. According to The Washington Post, Councilmembers supported multiple individuals, including Crawford and Eboni-Rose Thompson. The Washington Post reported “that the decision came down to ‘combination of two things: one being impressed with Ms. Crawford, and the other being that there was broad support for her.’” Mendelson said “Ms. Crawford's experience is important and relevant and will make a difference.” He added, “But I think members were impressed with her authenticity.“ He also remarked, “In talking with members, I found that there was broad support for Ms. Crawford — and for good reason.”

To become a Councilmember, Crawford needed votes from at least seven Councilmembers. On January 20, 2026, the Council voted for Crawford in a unanimous vote.  Every Councilmember spoke, supporting Crawford. Later that day, Crawford was sworn into office.

There will be a special election for June 16, 2026, to fill the Council seat of McDuffie/Crawford. Vote in that election, primary elections on that day, and in the November 2026 general elections.