Former D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie launched his bid for mayor Wednesday, becoming the second major candidate to run for the city’s top office.
Mr. McDuffie said his campaign will focus on affordability, cutting back on red tape that is stunting business growth and pushing for firmer boundaries between the city and the White House.
“I know that there are people who are looking at the country right now and really struggling with what we’re seeing,” Mr. McDuffie told WTOP News in his campaign-launching interview. “They need somebody who brings a level of experience to be able to make that fight, but also to do it in a smart way.”
Mr. McDuffie, a former at-large independent on the council, had been hinting at a run for mayor when he announced his council resignation last month. His statement at the time noted that Mr. McDuffie would be speaking about “his next chapter” in the near future.
Mr. McDuffie joins the race for mayor against fellow council colleague Janeese Lewis George.
The Ward 4 Democrat launched her bid shortly after Muriel Bowser, a three-term mayor, said she would not run again in November.
Ms. Lewis George is a self-described democratic socialist who would likely court the District’s more staunchly left-wing base.
