With two-thirds of the votes counted, former D.C. Council member Trayon White has all but been officially declared the winner of the special election spurred by his expulsion from the legislative body earlier this year.
More than an hour after the polls closed on Tuesday night, several dozen people from White’s camp, and that of Sheila Bunn’s, spilled out of the building occupied by Players Lounge and Andy’s Lounge, and onto the sidewalk along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Congress Heights. In what’s either a coincidence, or a show of unity, both candidates hosted their campaign watch party in the same venue, with Bunn’s function occupying Players Lounge on the first floor bar, and White’s event taking place on the top floor at Andy’s Lounge, which patrons accessed through a separate entrance.
White, sporting a black Nationals fitted hat, a white collar shirt and a neon green “I’m with Tray” shirt over it, gave remarks a couple times throughout the night. Once inside, amid pandemonium and pouring of librations, White issued a call for unity.
He did so perhaps mindful of the road ahead for a federally indicted council member working with those who expelled him from a legislative body.
“We’ve got to raise the consciousness and the level of thinking and obedience to God to our people because we are under attack and the quickest way to cripple the body is to cut off the head,” White said. “I want to thank everyone who’s been holding me accountable, who’s been praying for me, who’s been encouraging me, who’s been lifting me up. Even those haters, we appreciate you too.”
Though he didn’t provide much detail, White revealed an area of focus upon his return to the John A. Wilson Building.
“We have a strategic plan we laid out for Ward 8 to continue to be inclusive in Ward 8 to make sure everybody has an opportunity in Ward 8 to vote the same in Ward 8,” White said, later extending an olive branch to his fellow candidates. “We got more work to do. So I look forward to working with all the other candidates, all the workers throughout the ward, those who voted for me and those who did not vote for me. This is our community, we must unify.”
A Win Marred by an Uncertain Future and Majority Voter Opposition
As of 8:26 p.m. on Tuesday, White commands the lead with 29.46% of the vote. Sheila Bunn is second with 24.13%, while Mike Austin and Salim Adofo are in third and fourth place with 23.49% and 22.17% of the vote respectively.
In total, D.C. Board of Elections received 6,779 ballots— 3,763 mail-in ballots and 3,016 ballots cast during early voting and on July 15. White dominated most precincts, while Precincts 91 and 114 went to Bunn and Austin clinched Precincts 120 and 123.
Adofo had a strong showing in Precincts 122, 131, and 132. He didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
With the D.C. Board of Elections yet to have tallied thousands of votes, Bunn’s campaign team celebrated the promise of a victory, if not a confirmation that Bunn effectively conducted what she described as a people-powered campaign.
As her camp, and Ward 8 voters for that matter, await updated reports, Bunn is also giving a clarion call for unity.
“There’s a lot of work to do on Ward 8 and we will continue to do the work no matter what happens,” Bunn said. “We’ve got to come together. It’s about Ward 8. We don’t have time to play around. The District is in some financial straits and that’s going to hit Ward 8, east of the river, the hardest, so we’ve just got to… make sure that we can make sure that our people are taken care of.”
Austin said that, in light of the heavy anti-White sentiment, he’s preparing for what will likely be another special election.
“The majority of the residents want somebody fresh,” Austin told The Informer. “I’m encouraged by that to know that we’re going to keep fighting when we’ll be here again in a few months.”
Though Austin acknowledged a factor that dampened his chances of victory, he said he still has his sights set on the next go-around.
“There was a vote split, and that benefited the former council member, unfortunately,” Austin said. “But right now, we are focused on talking to the residents and making sure they’re prepared for the next race, because it will be whether it’s a month from now or six months from now, it will be another race, so we’ll be ready.”
During the latter part of last week, Austin’s campaign received a boost when Cora Masters Barry, widow of D.C.’s mayor for life Marion S. Barry endorsed him. That endorsement preceded one given by Ward 8 business owner Darrell Gaston.
It also followed endorsements given by: former Ward 8 D.C. council members Eydie Whittington and Sandra Allen, longtime Ward 8 resident Sandra Seegars, ElectED, and The Capital News.
In a Facebook post, Masters Barry touted Austin’s legislative experience while criticizing White’s decision to run in the special election.
“Trayon’s decision to run again—knowing he is not welcomed or respected by his former colleagues on the council because of his legal liability and actions — only deepens the harm,” Masters Barry’s letter read. “Even if he were to win, the reality is this: we could be right back where we started, without a voice on the council, watching our ward’s needs get overlooked. It hurts Ward 8, and we deserve better.”
In her letter, Masters Barry mentioned her late husband, saying that he once encouraged the resignation of a council member accused of taking D.C. government money. She said the late mayor, one of White’s mentors, would take on a similar position in Ward 8’s current situation.
“We all know that Marion believed in second chances, in redemption, and in doing the hard work to come back after a fall,” Masters Barry said. “But, If he was here today, he would also urge Trayon to take some time away from public service, accept accountability, handle his personal and legal challenges, and do what is necessary to move forward in his life with integrity, just as Marion did.”
Weeks before Masters Barry released her statement, Jauhar Abraham, a longtime organizer and grassroots politico who’s standing with White, provided a different take on how D.C.’s mayor for life— and other ancestors— would respond to White’s current legal challenges.
“If he was living, he would be with Tray,” Abraham told The Informer during a campaign rally that White hosted at Giant on Alabama Avenue SE. “If William Lockridge was living, he would be with Tray. If Sheila Bunn’s father [James Bunn] was living, he would be with Tray because they are part of the resistance.”
On the evening before July 4, as shoppers entered and exited Giant, White, Abraham, and a dozen other campaign supporters stood at the entrance, passing out campaign literature and encouraging people to vote for White. Several feet away, in the parking lot, a giant screen on a black van displayed an image of White with statements like “The FBI Set Him Up!” and “Don’t Be Fooled by D.C.’s Bougie Black Elite,” emblazoned along the bottom.
Abraham said that the council, in its eagerness to silence White, preemptively took on a case that will be handled in court next year. He went on to reveal that he launched a private investigation into council members’ business dealings, calling White’s expulsion part of a larger ploy to further displace Black people.
“He’s a representation of the poor and underserved in this city,” Abraham said about White. “Every time they get on the dais and decide to put $20 million into a dog park or parking lot, as opposed to doing stuff to help poor people, he’s a reminder of the human beings that they are…more than willing to neglect.”
In the human services realm, Dionne Reeder, CEO of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative threw her support behind Bunn, a former senior staffer for former D.C. council member Vincent C. Gray and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. That endorsement came after Bunn garnered support from: D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At large), former special election candidate Charnal Chaney, Bellevue resident and millennial politico Markus Batchelor, and Anita Shelton, president of DC Women in Politics.
Earlier in the campaign season, Adofo, in his second attempt for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat, secured Ward 8 politico and LGBTQ advocate Phil Pannell as a campaign team member.
Adofo, a grassroots organizer and proponent of D.C. government accountability also has endorsements from a slew of Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioners, including: Juanita Beltran (8B07); Erica Brown (8D04); Anita Burrows (8E04); Dascha Cleckley (8C03); Tom Donohue, Jr. (8A01); Liam Goodwin (8F05); Marcus Hickman (8B06); Georgette Joy Johnson (8C02); Takema Keyes (8B01); Cassandra Matthews (8D03); Keith Moore, Jr. (8D04); Randell Strickland (8D08); and Gregory White (8C02)
The campaign season hasn’t been without some controversy.
In its endorsement of Austin, The Capital News referenced “lingering questions about financial impropriety, misused funds, and ineffective leadership” that Adofo, Bunn and White face. The article later references “division, dysfunction, and persistent ethics questions” clouding Adofo’s chairmanship of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C.
It also speaks about what’s described as Bunn’s inability to sustain the Bellevue Neighborhood Community Association while serving as vice chair.
Bunn has since fought back, going as far as recently sending The Capital News a cease-and-desist letter in which she describes the July article as defamation that appears to meet the threshold of “actual malice.”
Phinis Jones, owner of The Capital News, based in the Congress Heights Arts and Cultural Center, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jacque Patterson, a senior member of Bunn’s campaign team, said his qualm with The Capital News’ endorsement centered on what he called a lack of clarity about the specific “lingering question” that applies to each candidate.
“That’s reckless writing for the mere fact that you conflate three accusations and you apply them to all three individuals instead of saying ‘This one applies to this individual, this one applies to this one,’” Patterson told The Informer, recounting efforts to secure a retraction from The Capital News.
“People read it as if all of the accusations apply to all three people,” Patterson said. “And then for you to go out and double down and deliver the paper, I think that’s just wrong.”
Patterson spent much of Tuesday at Voting Precinct #116— also known as THEARC. When not engaging voters entering and leaving the polling station, Patterson conversed with members of Adofo and Austin’s campaign teams. He said the exchanges have been amicable with everyone eager to usher in a new council member.
“People want to move forward,” Patterson said. “We appreciate our former council member [but] we want him to go ahead and take care of those things that are going on with him and the allegations, the charges that have been made. We also know that that’s a distraction. Regardless of our feelings for our council member personally, we know as a ward, we have to move past those.”
On the Ground with Some Ward 8 Voters
Many of those who voted, like Robin Garris, did so with public safety as one of their top concerns. Though she didn’t reveal who she supported, the lifelong Ward 8 resident admitted she’s at her wits end about the smell of marijuana in the streets and what she described as a lackluster police presence.
“I have to walk through weed every day, so police presence is a big issue for me.” Garris told The Informer at Players Lounge on Tuesday evening. “I’m not saying they’re not doing a good job — I know their job is hard — but I think if they’re walking around more instead of sitting in cars, it would help.”
Charles White III, a Ward 8 landlord of nearly a decade, counts high-wage jobs, gun violence, sex work, drugs, and nightlife among Ward 8’s most important issues. When it comes to the candidates, White said voters can do away with the former council member.
“I’ve been very dismayed with Mr. White’s actions,” White told The Informer while on his way to vote at Anacostia Neighborhood Library on Tuesday evening. “If the allegations against him are true, I want to see justice served, because he is not the kind of person we need here in Ward 8.”
Ward 8 resident Julianna Ferrell criticized the former council member for what she called self-serving behavior. Though she didn’t reveal her vote, Ferrell urged the next council member to directly engage residents, provide consistent constituent services, fight for a greater share of city resources, and facilitate better community policing.
“We need a representative in the D.C. Council who is willing to roll up their sleeves and put in time and do the hard work,” Ferrell told The Informer after leaving Anacostia Neighborhood Library on Tuesday evening. “The former council member did not do that. His priorities seemed to be himself, whoever his friends are.”
Ferrell, in speaking about her vision for a new Ward 8, said that a council member should be conducting weekly community meetings and commanding a greater understanding of the legislative process.
“If whoever [besides Trayon] wins [and] knows how to work the legislative system,” she said, “they’ll be able to get more than our fair share.”
Just feet away from where Ferrell stood, Dominique Quick was awaiting voters making their way to Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Quick, a lifelong Ward 8 resident who lives near THEARC, said she joined Bunn’s campaign, out of deference to her decades of service.
For Quick, it’s also about seeing Bunn increase neighborhood amenities, boost public safety, and help young adults, like herself, in ways that will last for generations.
“It’s time for a woman to be in this seat,” said Quick, 30. because we’ve tried Trayon White. I did vote him [for] the council. He didn’t do what we expected him to do, so I just think it’s time for a change.”
On Tuesday night, as the election results rolled in, Ward 8 resident Charles Turner, a longtime supporter of Adofo’s council aspirations, parlayed with campaign team members and residents at Busboys & Poets in Anacostia. For years, Turner has believed that Adofo, as council member, could improve the political culture of Ward 8.
“I hope to see change and we’ll have a council member who’s more dedicated to being a council member,” he said. “[Adofo] is more present, and showing is half the battle. He’s been in the community for a while, so it’s not like he doesn’t know the community and the community doesn’t know him.”
Looking Back: Former D.C. Council member White’s Last-Ditch Effort for Political Power
The special election took place one day after the D.C. Council conducted its first reading of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget without a Ward 8 council member. With DCBOE scheduled to certify the results by Aug. 8, Ward 8 residents will not have a ward-level voice when the council wraps up the budget deliberation process.
After that milestone, White still faces uncertainty. His trial is scheduled to start in January and, if found guilty, he faces 15 years in federal prison. Per the Home Rule Act, an elected official can’t hold office once convicted.
In the aftermath of White’s expulsion, a contingent of residents bemoaned what they described as the council’s infringement on Ward 8 electoral affairs. Last month, that sentiment intensified when the council approved the rules change allowing for the expulsion of a previously expelled council member.
In social media posts, White drummed up support among Ward 8 residents and organizers angered by what they called electoral interference similar to federal intrusion on local affairs. Weeks later, as a member of the former council member’s campaign team explained, White mulled the possibility of dropping out of the race and supporting another candidate.
“I held my peace until the last person [spoke] and I said ‘God did not create you to fail, God did not create you to give up,’” said Regina Pixley as she recounted a virtual campaign meeting. “I said, ‘You are in your David moment right now.’ David did not follow all the instructions of God but David held on to his faith and God didn’t leave David there.”
Pixley, a D.C. Democratic Party committeewoman and former Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioner, counts among those who stood beside White through his arrest, federal bribery indictment, council expulsion and what’s currently amounting to a special election victory.
Shortly after White’s expulsion in February, Pixley was also a vocal critic of a council that she said has been largely disengaged from Ward 8 affairs. That’s why, on Tuesday night, she called White’s likely return to the council a victory for residents.
For Pixley, it’s also a warning for the rest of the D.C. Council.
“A message to the Wilson Building,” Pixley said. “You stole our democracy…when you expelled our council member. You will not steal our democracy again.”
Last month, during the discussions leading up to rules change, D.C. Councilmembers Matt Frumin (D-Ward 3), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and Wendell Felder (D-Ward 7) counted among those who raised concerns about whether the change would further disadvantage residents lacking council representation.
Felder joined White and Bunn at Andy’s on Tuesday night, part of what he called his tour of special election watch night parties. Though mum about a political agenda for Wards 7 and 8, Felder focused on what he called an important aspect of the special election.
“So many Ward 8 neighbors came out to participate in this special election, so whoever the winner is, just want to bask in that and go from there,” Felder said. “I just wanted to come and show my support. Whoever wins, it is imperative that Ward 7 and Ward 8 have a really good relationship.”
Since jumping into the race, White has maintained fidelity to a grassroots engagement strategy that, in part, deterred him from attending most candidate forums during the special election season. Though he, like other candidates, visited polling sites throughout the early voting period and on July 15, White went the extra mile of demonstrating, on social media, his support among elders and youth.
Last weekend, the former council member also hosted a private brunch and joined residents at a balloon release for Honesty Cheadle, a three year old who lost her life during the July 4 weekend.
Even though many Ward 8 residents want to avoid another special election, there are some— including a Ward 8 resident who asked to be identified as D.P.— who say they are prepared to support White in whichever way possible.
“He’s gonna still need our support even though he’s back in the chair,” D.P. said on Tuesday while standing in front of Anacostia Library on Marion Barry Avenue in support of White. “He’s still gonna need our support against the wickedness that goes around.”
D.P., a lifelong Ward 8 resident, commended White for his visibility and what she called his deep familiarity with community members, particularly those who’ve lost their loved ones to gun violence.
Amid the District’s economic situation becoming more precarious, D.P. says White is a time-trusted asset.
“We need him,” D.P. told The Informer. “If you ain’t looking at stuff in black and white of what he really does…, you can’t speak about it. God got it and God got him.”