Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks, accompanied by Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, during a news conference on President Donald Trump's plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington. (AP Photo)
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., announced on Tuesday that she will not be seeking re-election next year, a decision that came as she has had to confront a federal law enforcement intervention into her city launched by President Donald Trump.
Bowser announced her decision in a video posted to social media, where she did not mention Trump or directly address his steps against the city. She applauded the cooperation with residents to make the city a better place to live and called on them to “summon our collective strength to stand tall against bullies who threaten our very autonomy while preserving Home Rule. That is our North Star.”
Bowser has served three terms since being first elected in 2015, none more tumultuous than the last year, when she found herself walking a fine line between staying in Trump’s good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents who said she should have pushed back more on actions taken by the president.
She was at the helm of a city that has long been reliant on the federal government. The district is granted autonomy through a limited home rule agreement passed in 1973, but federal political leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.
The federal government’s involvement in local affairs hit another level in August when, after Trump issued an emergency order targeting the city. This federalized D.C.’s police force and sent hundreds of National Guard troops there for what the administration called a crime-fighting mission. Although the emergency period has lapsed, the federal law enforcement presence is still in the city, along with National Guard members from the district and several states, despite legal action against the military deployment.
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Bowser in many ways cooperated with the administration’s efforts, including having city workers clear homeless encampments and work more closely with federal immigration agents.
She acknowledged that the intervention had helped reduce crime in the city, which was already on the decline, but also criticized the deployment of the National Guard, saying those resources would be better spent on other matters. She also said the city would not cooperate with immigration enforcement operations in the city.
She faced criticism from constituents and some in her council for not standing up stronger to the Trump, who has lauded the D.C. mission as a resounding success. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The district, led by its attorney general, currently has a lawsuit against the administration, charging that the deployment of the National Guard is illegal. A federal judge sided with the city Nov. 20 and ordered that the deployment end. The administration filed a notice of appeal Tuesday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Another set of plaintiffs is challenging the federal surge and the roundups being conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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The mayor, a former city council member, also spent a large part of the year trying to get the House to release about $1 billion of the city’s funding that was frozen during battles over the federal budget. In addition, the city also bore the brunt of significant cuts to the federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency.
“For ten years, you and I have worked together on an ambitious agenda to restore faith in our government and ensure that every D.C. resident gets the fair shot they deserve,” she said in her announcement. Among her accomplishments were her role in bringing the NFL franchise back into the city, along with plans for a new stadium, as well as her part in keeping the district’s NBA and NHL teams.
Bowser came under fire early this year when she announced that the “Black Lives Matter” plaza painted on the street one block from the White House would be removed in response to pressure from Republicans in Congress.
Bowser’s decision opens the door for a number of possible candidates, although at least two of them, D.C. Council members Robert White Jr. and Brooke Pinto, have already announced they are running for the district’s U.S. House delegate seat. Fellow council member Janesse Lewis George remains a potential candidate.
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Matthew Dallek, a historian and professor of political management at George Washington University, said this past year has been one of the most intrusive and “heavy handed” in terms of the federal government’s involvement “in the day to day of the city’s politics and the city’s life. None of it is to make an excuse for Bowser” but the city’s lack of control over its own affairs has been clearly evident. Dallek called the moment “a pretty precarious time for the city.”
City council member Kenyan R. McDuffie thanked Bowser in a statement and praised her efforts in housing, education, public safety and economic development.
“As we look ahead to the upcoming year for the District, I have no doubt that Mayor Bowser will continue to be a tireless partner in improving the quality of life for all residents across the city,” McDuffie said.
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