For various segments of the Ward 1 voter population, the Democratic primary has called into question whether D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau’s successor will represent the whole ward, or just certain groups.
Such is the case for Lynn C. French, a sixth-generation Washingtonian and longtime Democrat. Since the Ward 1 Democrats’ candidates forum in March, she’s criticized what she calls the organization’s lackluster attempt at voter engagement.
“I’m saying that as somebody who went to Atlantic City in 1964, when the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party confronted the Democratic Party,” French told The Informer. “In 1968, I was at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, where everybody got beaten up and arrested. The commitment of the Democratic Party, as a result of those two conventions, has been to be the Big Tent Party, and that’s what the Democratic Party is supposed to stand for.”
Soon after the candidates forum, the Ward 1 Democrats conducted its endorsement meeting in April and its convention in May. In speaking about outreach efforts, Ward 1 Democrats Chair Alex Baca told The Informer that the organization provides advanced notice about events on its website and via an email list and social media.
Baca, however, did acknowledge that any methods beyond that, including flyers, mailers, text and phone banking, and “research and correspondence” with other groups, often requires funding and manpower that the Ward 1 Democrats cannot leverage.
“Our [outreach efforts] are no more or less extensive than any other ward Democrats clubs’ efforts to ensure diverse representation at any event,” Baca wrote in an email, “whether it is a regular meeting, forum, or convention, and is in some instances more extensive than the D.C. Democrats’ outreach, which veers from light to nonexistent.”
As the Ward 1 Democrats navigate an unprecedented and consequential election season, French and other affiliates are speaking out against Aparna Raj, a democratic socialist who’s running for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat. During the latter part of May, French and more than a dozen other Ward 1 community members released an open letter warning constituents against voting for Raj, calling her commitment to the party questionable at best.
“I’m just not an expert on the democratic socialists,” French said, “but I think that there’s a contradiction on holding yourself out there as in calling yourself a democratic socialist but saying you’re running as a Democrat and never having even participated in the Democratic Party.”
Raj, a tenant organizer, is running against Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs) Rashida Brown and Miguel Trindade Deramo, former director of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs Jackie Reyes Yanes, and longtime grassroots organizer Terry Lynch. She’s campaigning on the issues of housing affordability, educational equity, rent stabilization and free childcare.
According to the letter, French’s discontent, in part, stems from Raj’s response to an amendment to a 2024 Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America resolution about left-wing solidarity. Records show Raj espousing the Uncommitted National Movement and telling comrades that, in the Democratic primary that year, she would write in U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib instead of voting for then-President Joe Biden.
“There are a number of forces out there who are saying they’re democratic socialists,” French told The Informer, “but I don’t see them all towing the party line.”
Aparna Raj Responds to Critics
Raj, a decade-long D.C. resident who lives in Columbia Heights, said she adopted democratic socialism as she saw Democratic figures highlighting contradictions hindering the party’s ability to truly represent the people.
“I had a similar story to probably a lot of other people where I was really inspired by elected officials running for office like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other people who identified as democratic socialists who really showed that we can expect better from our government and from our elected officials,” Raj told The Informer.
If elected, Raj aims to be a council member that fights on behalf of Ward 1 residents, not corporate interests. Shortly before speaking to The Informer on June 5, Raj was out and about, making her case to constituents, some of whom she said still had questions about democratic socialism.
“There are some elected officials who take pharmaceutical money, who take oil and gas money and, who vote accordingly,” Raj said, “and there are elected officials who identify as democratic socialists, who have been really staunch moral voices, who have resisted a lot of corporate influence, been lone votes a lot of times to make sure that we can preserve tenant protections, try to protect immigrants against the Trump administration, try to make child care more affordable, to expand food assistance.”
Raj said she registered with the Democratic Party when she came of voting age. During the 2014 and 2018 midterms, she volunteered for the party, even joining a Democratic super PAC in 2018. In the years following the pandemic, she canvassed for D.C. Council members Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) and Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) during their 2022 and 2024 electoral bids.
Most recently, before running for local office, Raj canvassed in Virginia during an election cycle where Democrats reclaimed the state legislature. In speaking about the 2024 presidential election, Raj said she did what she thought was best for the Democratic Party, and more importantly, Palestinian people.
“I wrote in ‘Gaza’ because I didn’t think that Joe Biden was the strongest candidate for president for the Democratic Party,” Raj told The Informer, “and that’s what primaries are for: really voting for the vision that you wanna see for the Democratic Party.”
As Raj recounted, she fell in line once the Democratic Party establishment rallied around then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I canvassed for her multiple times and really worked to get her elected because I knew the consequences of the Trump administration,” Raj told The Informer.
Weeks after the conservative-leaning Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act, leftists and third-party surrogates have faced online vitriol as Democrats blamed them for ushering President Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House.
As Raj faces a similar level of criticism about her political leanings, she’s setting out to draw a distinction between her and other factions in the Democratic Party, whether local or national.
“While we can acknowledge that the Democratic Party candidate is always better than Republicans and is better than Trump, we should also understand that primaries are our opportunity to push for better land and push for more from the Democratic Party,” Raj told The Informer. “There’s a difference between being a Democrat who votes to give billions of dollars to a corporation or a billionaire versus a Democrat who votes to fund healthcare and rental assistance and the things that people need to live.”
Rashida Brown and Miguel Trindade Deramo Reflect on Cross Endorsement
After the collection and tallying of English and Spanish-language ballots during an April meeting, the Ward 1 Democrats endorsed D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At large) for D.C. Delegate; Lewis George for mayor; U.S. Shadow Representative Dr. Oye Owolewa for the Democratic D.C. Council at-large seat; and former D.C. council member Elissa Silverman for the independent at-large council seat.
Though none of the five Ward 1 D.C. Council candidates secured the two-thirds of the vote needed for an endorsement, Raj gained at least 50% of the vote during two rounds. She’s since garnered the endorsement of the D.C. Young Democrats.
A month after the Ward 1 Democrats candidates forum, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Rashida Brown and Miguel Trindade Deramo endorsed each other, each telling their supporters to rank the other candidate second on their ranked-choice voting ballot.
Brown said her collaboration with Trindade Deramo came out of mutual respect for their ANC experience.
“We have worked in D.C. government to get things done, both in the Wilson Building and in the community,” Brown told The Informer, “and we know what it means and feels like to answer constituent calls. When folks have a hard time navigating those services, it’s us that they call. We will be doing the same thing in the Wilson Building.”
Brown, a commissioner who represents Park View and Pleasant Plains, has a platform centered on the restoration of emergency rental housing assistance, supporting teachers and the pay equity fund, safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and a public safety strategy rooted in prevention.
She told The Informer that, if elected, either she or Trindade Deramo could help make this vision a reality.
“When you’re a council member, it gives you much leverage and power to advance those critical things forward that’s needed in your community, like passing legislation that impacts policy change and passing a budget that creates investments in your ward that leads to services,” Brown told The Informer. “Those are the things that Miguel and I understand, and we have definitely worked within our own ANCs to lift up those shared progressive values, both in affordable housing and in transportation infrastructure.”
Trindade Deramo echoed Brown’s sentiments, telling The Informer that ANC experience roots their plans for Ward in reality.
“I think there’s no replacement for it,” Trindade Deramo said. “Aside from the fact that Rashida and I share values and good vibes, and have the temperament to be the right kind of leader for Ward 1, that ANC experience really was front and center when we were having that ‘game recognize game’ kind of conversation for a few weeks.”
If elected, Trindade Deramo’s vision includes: increasing housing supply in Ward 1; proactive partnership between the local police and the community; increasing transit reliability; and tackling chronic absenteeism. In recent weeks, Trindade Deramo has set out to inform voters about ranked-choice voting, which he supported as a member of the pro-Initiative 83 coalition and co-founder/founding executive director of Grow Democracy DC.
“Everybody’s aware, which is amazing,” Trindade Deramo told The Informer. “Almost exclusively, people are already thinking about their one, two, three ranking by now. There are definitely groups who need extra help. I’m really glad that there are organizations out there doing that. We talk about it when we’re out knocking on doors.”
But all are not convinced. French said she will vote exclusively for Brown.
“I believe that Rashida is the person who stands closest to what I would expect for someone representing me in Ward 1,” French said. “Rashida stands for everybody and what we expected. She is an ANC commissioner. She has performed well, and she has supported projects that bring affordable housing into the ward.”
Earlier this month, a District judge ruled that Initiative 83, the ballot measure that brought ranked-choice voting to fruition, doesn’t violate the law.
As mail-in ballots continue to pour in and early voting gets underway, French remains skeptical of what ranked-choice voting could achieve.
“I’m not putting anybody there who I can’t see as my council member,” French told The Informer. “I’m not doing all that ranking. I really am not, because I think that when you rank people, you unknowingly help a person that you don’t want to win.”
For Jackie Reyes Yanes, a Matter of Racial Representation
Reyes Yanes said the Brown-Trindade Deramo cross endorsement distracts from what she calls a haphazard rollout of ranked-choice voting. She told The Informer that she turned down similar calls for collaboration, though she didn’t specify from which candidate.
Her goal, as she explained, is to ensure that constituents have the information they need to be civically engaged.
“I have to pick up the pieces and go to the voters and explain what’s right, instead of creating more confusion,” Reyes Yanes said. “They don’t understand ranked-choice voting, especially the seniors and immigrant community. I want to make sure people understand.”
If elected, Reyes Yanes’ areas of focus include rent stabilization, expansion of home purchases assistance grants, support of small businesses, affordable child care, activation of public spaces and youth employment. She also pledged to address public safety concerns by tapping into her skill set as a community advocate.
“Some residents miss the personal touch that Councilmember Jim Graham had, so they see that that is going to be the same thing with me,” said Reyes Yanes, a former Graham staffer.
Reyes Yanes told The Informer that she recently executed her hands-on approach when she sought answers in the aftermath of a now-viral police encounter in Mount Pleasant that elicited strong responses from mayoral candidate Lewis George and several others.
What was initially thought to be a deployment of ICE officers was actually the local law enforcement’s arrest of a man who was in public with an open container of alcohol. It has since been discovered that the man, charged in a 2022 murder, had a warrant out for his arrest.
“We found out that ICE was not there, and I was the only one who called the police to verify that,” Reyes Yanes told The Informer. “People need to find out from the council member to get the facts right and make sure they know in real time what’s going on in the community.”
In recent weeks, Reyes Yanes has received endorsements from Lori Kaplan, former executive director of the Latin American Youth Center; Ms. Senior DC 2023 Cerise Turner; Sharon Snead of the Hubbard Place Tenant Association; D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At large); and the Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington.
Reyes Yanes said she represents a segment of the voting population ignored by the ward-level party establishment.
“It’s become a social club for the few,” Reyes Yanes said. “In Ward 1, we speak about diversity and inclusion, but the Ward 1 Democrats were not even ready when Latinos came out for the endorsements. They told me not to interpret, but they didn’t have language access. I will make sure that everybody has a voice in the Ward 1 Democrats and Latino Caucus, because it’s not there.”
As the race gets down the wire, Reyes Yanes, a Salvadorean immigrant who came of age in the nation’s capital, continues to tap into networks that she says represents the District of yesteryear.
“If you talk about being progressive, why are we not including the people who are standing on the shoulders of the native Washingtonians that have been here for more than two or three generations?” Reyes Yanes said. “People were criticizing me for having a lot of cash donations. Latinos don’t have bank accounts. That’s how disconnected they are.”
She said such responses have renewed her focus.
“It’s an eye opener for me [to] make sure that I bridge all of those gaps and understand the cultural sensitivity of people wanting to be part of a democratic process,” Reyes Yanes told The Informer.
Terry Lynch Grapples With Ranked-Choice Voting, While a Longtime Ward 1 Resident Fights to Include Black Residents in the Conversation
Earlier this month, D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) executive director Monica Evans told reporters that voters’ first choice, made via mail-in ballot and at polling stations, will be tabulated before and on Election Day.
She went on to note that, in situations that necessitate second and subsequent rounds, tabulations for those choices will begin on June 21, with additional tabulations scheduled for June 24 and June 26.
Days later, during the early voting period, Lynch fulfilled his civic duty at a local voting precinct, but not without some difficulty, as he recalled.
“I wanted a handwritten ballot,” Lynch said. “The computer rejected my handwritten ballot twice, so I had to end up doing an electronic ballot.”
Lynch said his experience will most likely mirror that of several other voters.
“A lot of people’s ballots are going to get thrown out because it’s easy to make a mistake,” Lynch told The Informer. “I don’t think there’s been enough grassroots education about how to actually vote. I don’t think we’re going to have the results on election night.”
Well before Nadeau announced she wouldn’t run for another term, Lynch launched his bid for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat espousing a commitment to making local government work better for residents. His platform focuses on, among other things, housing production and the revitalization of Georgia Avenue and other corridors where businesses have shuttered.
Lynch, who’s reportedly gained the support of Dos Gringos owner Alex Kramer, and even Ward 8 resident Sandra Seegars, didn’t have much to say about Brown and Trindade Deramo’s cross endorsements.
He instead kept his focus on the issues at hand.
“Rats are winning,” Lynch said. “We had no pre-treatment of the streets during the snowstorm, so we locked down particularly our seniors and others in their homes for two weeks. We have overflowing trash bins. So my opponents are really the plagues that have come to Ward 1 from a lack of effective oversight by both government agencies and the council members.”
Meanwhile, Karen Gaal, a precinct representative of the Ward 1 Democrats, said she’s fighting a different enemy. Since the beginning of the year, she’s been making an effort to ensure that Black voters are represented in discussions about ranked-choice voting.
Gaal told The Informer that she’s taken her qualms about the racial composition of voting precinct representatives, not only to the Ward 1 Democrats, but the Mayor’s Office of African-American Affairs, and DCBOE.
“I just asked someone with DCBOE the other day if they could give me those numbers…hopefully to get some more concrete information,” Gaal said. “What I’m asking for is to make sure that the community organizations did their best to recruit the precinct representatives from within those communities.”
As a member of the Ward 1 Democrats’ elections committee, Gaal submitted a by-laws amendment to establish a permanent standing committee focused on education about ranked-choice voting. During the Ward 1 Democrats’ most recent full committee meeting, Gaal’s motion did not pass.
Gaal mentioned other efforts, including her pleading with Ward 1 Democratic leadership to circulate a survey intended to inform their Ward 1 voter outreach strategy. She said it wasn’t until she pushed, that ward-level party leadership, with according to Baca only available demographic data at its disposal, agreed to make those efforts after the primary election.
And even with that, Gaal had to make one last appeal during the Ward 1 Democrats’ early May convention, she told The Informer.
“I had to bring it up from the floor because it did not appear on the agenda,” Gaal said. “I had been making these concerted efforts and I wrote up everything, made sure that I presented again and again, and expressed my deep concern that the information needed to get out there to make sure we had a good firm understanding on what precinct reps are supposed to do.”
In an email, Baca identified voter education as a job more for a full committee, which has more members. They noted that Ward 1 Democrats general body meetings have included ranked-choice voting demonstrations or training. Baca said those efforts have aligned with similar responsibilities carried out by DCBOE, Rank the District, and citywide Democratic Party leadership.
“I don’t know of a better way to ensure that voters are prepared for the new voting system than by allowing them to learn by doing,” Baca’s email said, “and our endorsements process and precinct-rep elections have all been conducted via ranked-choice voting, so we can confidently say that the Ward 1 Dems have been handling elections via ranked-choice voting since last fall.”
Through it all, Gaal said that the dearth in non-white voter precinct representation speaks to a larger issue facing Ward 1, one of the first District jurisdictions where Black people faced displacement at the turn of the century. As a fixture in the Ward 1 Democrats, Gaal has used her rapport to challenge party leaders who she said often take lightly the necessity of racial inclusion.
“There’s no one on the executive board of Ward 1 Democrats that’s African American or Hispanic,” Gaal told The Informer. “I know that people push based on what their high concerns are and I’m there to make sure that I don’t leave the table so that those high concerns are always heard and met.”
Such an environment, Gaal said, could affect the future of Black and Latino representation in Ward 1 affairs.
“We haven’t seen anyone that has stepped up to the plate to come to the meetings,”Gaal told The Informer. “I’m wondering if they’re receiving this information. Even though they may have [voters’] names, the question is who’s really going into the neighborhoods to reach out to them or reach out to people within those neighborhoods? I have not seen that effort take place.”
