WASHINGTON — Incumbent at-large D.C. councilmember Elissa Silverman has conceded her race for reelection to her challenger, Kenyan McDuffie. The second projected at-large winner is incumbent Anita Bonds. It was a tight race that pitted council members against each other.
According to the latest data, McDuffie secured 22% of the vote to Silverman's 19%. Both Silverman and McDuffie ran as Independents.
In a statement on Twitter, Silverman said she called McDuffie and congratulated him on his win.
"The latest vote tallies from the D.C. Board of Elections make his victory unassailable," Silverman tweeted.
Days before the election, Silverman faced growing calls to drop her re-election bid. That's because the Office of Campaign Finance ruled Silverman violated the Fair Elections Public Financing Program when she used taxpayer dollars to fund two political polls for a race where she was not a candidate. Silverman is appealing the decision arguing the poll was necessary because the Ward 3 race, and the funding source of one candidate, impacted her own race. She was ordered to repay the District government $6,277.
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Meanwhile McDuffie thanked his supporters.
"Thank you, Washington, DC! I look forward to representing every resident as your next At-Large Councilember. Together, we will create safer neighborhoods with greater opportunities across the city," McDuffie said on Twitter.
McDuffie, who has been a member of DC Council for 10 years, originally filed to run for Attorney General. The Board of Elections ruled he did not meet the qualifications to run for that office.
Democrat Anita Bonds won re-election has used her platform to vocalize the need to improve the District’s public-school system, expand violence prevention initiatives, and promote the idea of "good government."
