D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie will run for one of the two at-large seats on the council in the Nov. 8 general election after vacating his Ward 5 seat on the legislative body in a failed bid for attorney general.
D.C. Board of Elections officials confirmed to WTOP that McDuffie and his team picked up nominating petitions on Friday. As a result of his new candidacy, the Ward 5 lawmaker had to leave the Democratic Party and become a political independent in order to seek office.
Earlier this year, McDuffie sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general but the board of elections and the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that he was ineligible to serve in the position because he didn’t meet the statutory requirements.
If he hands in a sufficient number of signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot, McDuffie will face at-large incumbents Anita Bonds, who won the Democratic nomination on June 21 for one of the two seats, and Elissa Silverman, who is seeking reelection as an independent, as well as other political party nominees and non-party affiliated candidates.
In the District, two council at-large seats are available each election year. The Democratic nominee traditionally secures one of the seats because of that party’s strong base in the city and the 10-to-1 advantage in voter registration.
By law, the two winners of the at-large races cannot be from the same political party.