AURN News with Ebony McMorris

New Era: Progressives Win Key Races in Washington

Ebony McMorris
June 17, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute

WASHINGTON (AURN News) — A new political era is taking shape in the nation’s capital after voters selected Janeese Lewis George as the Democratic nominee for mayor and Robert White as the Democratic nominee for D.C. delegate to Congress in Tuesday’s primary election.

D.C. Council member Robert White Jr., greets supporters as he arrives to cast his vote during the D.C. primary election at Shepard Park Elementary, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

In a deeply Democratic city, both nominations are widely viewed as tantamount to election in November. Lewis George, a Ward 4 council member and progressive, defeated former council member Kenyan McDuffie with more than 52% of the vote.

Robert White, an at-large council member and voting rights attorney who previously worked for Eleanor Holmes Norton, won the delegate race with more than 63% of the vote.

The challenges ahead are enormous: a billion-dollar budget shortfall, a federal government that has clashed repeatedly with city leaders, including direct threats from President Donald Trump, and a fight for D.C. statehood that has never been harder.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.