Like most recent D.C. elections, LGBTQ voters will be choosing candidates for mayor, City Council, D.C. Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and other races from a list of mostly strong LGBTQ rights supporters in the city’s Nov. 3 general election.
In a city with a large majority of voters registered as Democrats, Democratic mayoral nominee Janeese Lewis George, who has expressed strong support on LGBTQ related issues, is considered the strong favorite to win election as mayor.
She has received the endorsement of Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political group, and received a +10 rating, the highest possible rating, from GLAA D.C., formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington.
Lewis George is being challenged by Statehood Green Party candidate Robert L. Gross and independent candidate Rhonda Hamilton, with no Republican candidate on the ballot for D.C. mayor. GLAA, whose rating system is based mostly on non-LGBTQ left-leaning progressive issues, issued a +6 rating for Hamilton. It did not issue a rating for Gross because he did not return a GLAA candidate questionnaire that the group bases its ratings on.
In her widely publicized position as a Democratic Socialist, Lewis George has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who has called her a “communist adherent” and has threatened to take steps to revoke D.C.’s home rule local government and place it under federal control if she wins election as mayor.
Lewis George and her supporters have said Trump has made false claims about Lewis George’s positions, including claims that she would “empty” D.C. prisons, defund the police, and welcome criminal illegal immigrants to return to the city.
But some LGBTQ activists have joined others in expressing alarm that Trump could try to convince the current Republican-controlled Congress to revoke D.C. home rule and weaken or repeal the city’s human rights law that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Others have expressed doubts that even the current GOP Congress would take such action. They also point to predictions that Democrats are likely to regain control over the Senate or House or possibly both in the upcoming mid-term elections on Nov. 3, making a revocation of D.C. home rule unlikely.
“Throughout my time in public service, I have fought for LGBTQ+ rights, home rule, and statehood,” Lewis George said in a statement responding to a candidate questionnaire from GLAA.
“On the Council, I have supported protections for gender-affirming care, LGBTQ relationships, and HIV/AIDS-related healthcare access,” she states in her questionnaire response. “As mayor, I will be a staunch defender of LGBTQ+ residents and D.C. autonomy,” she said.
Among the other candidates considered strong favorites to win in the D.C. election next week is gay D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), who has also been an outspoken supporter on LGBTQ issues during his tenure on the Council. He received the endorsement of Capital Stonewall Democrats and a +8 rating from GLAA.
He is being challenged by Statehood Green Party candidate Joyce Robinson and Republican candidate Jeffrey Kihien-Palza, whose campaign websites do not indicate a position on LGBTQ issues. In past elections, Statehood Green Party officials and candidates have expressed support on LGBTQ issues. GLAA did not issue ratings for Robinson or Kihien-Palza because they did not return the GLAA questionnaire.
In the Ward 1 D.C. Council race, Democratic nominee Aparna Raj, who identifies as bisexual, is considered the strong favorite to emerge as the winner and to replace LGBTQ-supportive Council member Brianne Nadeau (D), who is not running for re-election.
Raj, who received a GLAA rating of +10, is facing three opponents – Republican Jett James Jasper, Statehood Green candidate Jude Crannitch, and independent candidate Ryan Prince. Neither of the three received a GLAA rating due to not returning the GLAA questionnaire.
The Capital Stonewall Democrats did not issue an endorsement in the Ward 1 Council race because none of the candidates received a required 60 percent of the vote among the group’s members who vote on endorsements. The group’s president, Stevie McCarty, said Raj received a majority of the vote but did not reach the 60 percent threshold.
In the race for non-voting D.C. Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large), a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter, is considered the strong favorite to win and succeed longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), who is retiring.
White, who received the endorsement of Capital Stonewall Democrats, is being challenged by Republican Denise Rosado and Statehood Green Party candidate Kymone Freeman. While Freeman has been an advocate of progressive causes, Rosado’s campaign website says she supports protecting parental rights in D.C. schools by limiting classroom discussions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. By contrast, White has said he will speak out in strong support of LGBTQ rights in Congress.
In the race for D.C. Council Chair, incumbent Phil Mendelson (D), a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter, is considered the strong favorite to beat Republican challenger Abi-Ananiah Prudent. Mendelson received the Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsement and a 6.5 rating from GLAA.
Under the D.C. Home Rule Charter, which was approved by Congress in the early 1970s, one of the two At-Large D.C. Council seats up for election this year must go to a non-majority party candidate, which means a non-Democrat. Under the city’s election rules, the two candidates receiving the highest two vote counts, who are on the same ballot, emerge as winners.
Four candidates are running for the two seats this year, including incumbent Council member Elissa Silverman, an independent and longtime LGBTQ rights supporter. The Democratic nominee, Oye Owolewa, who currently serves as the city’s “shadow” representative to the U.S. House, has also expressed strong support on LGBTQ issues. Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsed him. GLAA issued a rating of +9 for Owolewa and +7 for Silverman.
The other two candidates on the ballot for the At-Large Council seat are Republican Darrell Green and Statehood Green candidate Darryl Moch. Neither received a GLAA rating because they did not return the GLAA questionnaire, GLAA states on its website.
In the Ward 3 D.C. Council race, incumbent Democrat Matthew Frumin, an outspoken LGBTQ rights supporter, is running unopposed in the Nov. 3 general election. He was endorsed by Capital Stonewall Democrats but did not receive a GLAA rating by not returning the questionnaire.
In the Ward 6 D.C. Council race, incumbent Democrat Charles Allen, also a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter, is being challenged by Republican Jorge Rice. Allen was endorsed by Capital Stonewall Democrats and received a 6.75 rating from GLAA. GLAA did not issue a rating for Rice due to his not returning the questionnaire.
In the race for D.C. Attorney General, incumbent Democrat Brian Schwalb, who has expressed support for LGBTQ issues, is being challenged by Republican Manuel Rivera. Schwalb was endorsed by Capital Stonewall Democrats but did not receive a GLAA rating. GLAA’s website shows that Rivera, who returned the GLAA questionnaire, received a rating of +4.5.
Rivera’s campaign website does not disclose his views or positions on LGBTQ issues, but an online search led to a list of endorsements saying he has been endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans of D.C., an LGBTQ Republican organization.
The D.C. Log Cabin Republicans website does not show any candidate endorsements from the group for this year. And spokespersons for the group did not immediately respond to calls from the Washington Blade asking if the group has endorsed any of the D.C. Republican candidates running in the Nov. 3 election.
In the race for D.C.’s shadow U.S. Senator, which has no congressional powers and has been used to lobby Congress for D.C. congressional representation, incumbent Democrat Paul Strauss, who has expressed support for LGBTQ rights issues, is being challenged by Republican Robert Simmons.
The Capital Stonewall Democrats website shows he did not meet the 60 percent member vote to receive an endorsement at the time of the D.C. primary in June, and the group has not taken another vote for an endorsement in the November election. GLAA has said it does not issue ratings for candidates running for federal office.
Regarding the race for shadow representative to the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent shadow representative Oye Owolewa is giving up the seat to run for the At-Large D.C. Council seat. Democrat Franklin Garcia, who has expressed support for LGBTQ issues, is running for the seat against Republican opponent Ciprian Ivanof. Like the shadow Senate race, Capital Stonewall Democrats didn’t issue an endorsement in the shadow House contest after no candidate received a required 60 percent vote from its members.
Candidates for the D.C. State Board of Education are running this year in Wards 1, 3, 5, and 6. Under D.C. election rules, the school board positions are non-partisan. GLAA does not issue ratings for school board candidates, but Capital Stonewall Democrats makes endorsements in those races.
In Ward 1, Ben Williams is running unopposed. In Ward 3, incumbent Eric Goulet is being challenged by Aaron Wesolowski. In Ward 5, two non-incumbent candidates are running – Jon Alfuth versus Lynn Jennings. In the Ward 6 race, three non-incumbents are competing for the seat – Amber A. Williams, David Parker, and Joshua Wiley.
Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsed Williams and Jennings. McCarty, the group’s president, said Wesolowski of Ward 3 received 58 percent of the members’ endorsement vote and Wiley of Ward 6 received 55 percent of the vote, each falling short of the required 60 percent by just a few points.
Sizable number of LGBTQ ANC candidates on ballot
Partially in response to a campaign by Capital Stonewall Democrats to recruit LGBTQ candidates to run for D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats, at least 45 known LGBTQ ANC candidates will be on the Nov. 3 election ballot from ANC districts throughout the city.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities by currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of issues and policies impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, street improvements, zoning, and liquor license.
Following is a list of the 45 known LGBTQ ANC candidates running on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot and the single member districts and neighborhood in which they are running:
1A04 – (Columbia Heights) Jeremy Sherman, he/him
1A10 – (Columbia Heights) Vida Rangel, she/they [non-incumbent candidate]
1B03 – (Columbia Heights/U Street) J. Swiderski, they/he [non-incumbent candidate] & Jamie S. Sycamore, he/him
1B06 – (Columbia Heights/Meridian Hill) Miguel Trindade Deramo, he/him
1B07 – (U Street) Matthew Holden, he/him
1C01 – (Adams Morgan) Howard Bauleke, he/him
1D06 – Sapna Pandya, she/her
1E01 – (Park View) Brad Howard, he/him
2A03 – John P. George, he/him
2B02 – (Dupont Circle) Jeffrey Rueckgauer, he/him
2B03 – (Dupont Circle) Vincent Slatt, he/him
2B05 – Alex Marshall, he/him
2B08 – Zach Adams, he/him
2C01 – (Penn Quarter) Michael D. Shankle, he/him
2F05 – (Logan Circle) Christopher Dyer, he/him
2F07 – (Logan Circle) Kevin Cataldo, he/him
2G01 – (Shaw)Parker Griffin, he/him; Howard Garrett, he/him; Christian Dingus, he/him
2G02 – (Shaw) Alexander ‘Alex’ Padro, he/him
2G04 – (Shaw) Steven McCarty, he/him
3B06 – (Wesley Heights) S. Robert Rodriquez, he/him
3F05 – (Van Ness/Cleveland Park) Adrian Jesus Iglesias, he/him
4B01 – (Takoma) Doug Payton, he/him
4B10 – (Lamond Riggs) Jinin Berry, she/her
4C03 – Petrona Xemi Tapepechul, she/her
4C06 – (Petworth) Christen Boss Hayes, they/them
4D07 – Brittany Vesce, she/her
4E02 – (16th Street Heights) Vince Micone, he/him
5B04 – (Brookland) Ra Amin, he/him
5B05 – (Brookland) Mónica Martínez López, she/her
5D05 – (Trinidad) Salvador Sauceda-Guzman, he/him
5E02 – Ava Avitabile, she/her
5F05 – Andrew Pendleton, he/him
5F06 – (Eckington) Joe Bishop-Henchman, he/him
6A06 – Daniel Aboagye
6B03 – (Capitol Hill) David Sobelsohn, he/him
6B04 – Dana White, they/them
6B09 – (Capitol Hill/Barney Circle) Karen Hughes, she/her
7C01 – (Deanwood) Brian Glover, he/him
7C03 – (Lincoln Heights) Carlos Richardson, he/him
7C04 (Deanwood) Anthony Lorenzo Green
7C08 – (Capitol View) Brandon M. Scott, he/him
8A01 – (Fairlawn) Tom Donohue, he, him
8B06 – (Garfield Heights) Marcus Thomas Hickman, he/him
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
