
Polls have closed in the nation’s capital and Muriel Bowser has secured her third term as mayor of Washington, D.C. To earn her third term, Bowser ousted Republican challenger Stacia Hall and independent Red Grant.
Bowser rose to prominence in the District of Columbia as a member of the Washington, D.C. Council. In 2014, she earned 54.6% of the city’s vote to secure the mayoral seat. Four years later, she bested Ann Wilcox and Dustin Canter in a landslide. This year, she maintained her position as the second Black woman to serve as the city’s mayor and the first candidate to secure three consecutive terms in more than 20 years.
Despite Bowser’s ability to remain in office, calls for change have grown louder on key issues. Most notably, many residents called for the city to divert funds from police to social programs in 2020. Instead, Bowser moved to increase funding and the number of officers on duty. Two years later, violent crime among juveniles in the city continues to rise.
“So you ask me what are we doing differently and here’s the truth. Wherever I have seen spikes in gun violence, throughout my tenure from ANC, to the council, to mayor We’ve literally thrown everything at the problem,” Bowser said this fall.
“And we watch to see what works and we adjust as we go along.”
Bowser will have another four years to work towards creating a safer city, but pressure will continue to mount as the field of Democratic challengers grows.
BOWSER WINS 3RD TERM: Mayor Muriel Bowser becomes the first D.C. mayor elected to a third term since Marion Barry won in 1986. https://t.co/aaoKWEOqML pic.twitter.com/CUhltAk0wc
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) November 9, 2022