On November 4, 2014, DC residents will be responsible for electing two DC Council At-Large members. There are two DC Council At-Large spots open because incumbent David Catania (I) is not running for reelection due to his participation in the mayoral race. There are fifteen candidates running for these two spots. A front runner for one of the seats is incumbent Democratic Council member Anita Bonds.
Bonds has earned strong constituents among the city’s elderly voters thanks to her support of a bill that reduces property taxes for senior residents. She also has the advantage of running as a Democrat in the election, which many candidates do not as the second seat must be filled by someone from a non-majority party, meaning not a Democrat.
This caused many candidates to switch their party affiliation from Democrat to Independent. Among the front runners for this second seat are Robert White, a former staffer for DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Elissa Silverman, a former reporter at the Washington Post and Washington City Paper.
White has been campaigning hard for the seat for more than a year now and has picked up valuable endorsements from City Council members Kenyan McDuffie and Yvette Alexander.
Silverman, too, has gained high visibility, coming in second to Bonds in April’s special election to fill a seat in the Council. Among other candidates in the crowded field who have attracted notice are Eugene Puryear of the DC Statehood Green Party, who is noted for co-founding the Jobs not Jails Coaltion — and Independent Courtney Snowden who is best known for her contributions to the fight for LGBTQ rights.
