At D.C. Councilman-elect Kenyan McDuffie’s victory party Tuesday night, the exhausted candidate noted he was able to raise more campaign cash than his competitors — nearly all of it from individuals.
To which the room responded, “And without [corporate] bundling!” political activist and supporter Bryan Weaver recalls, referring to a common campaign donation practice that has brought some council members negative attention.
That sentiment of being independent of corporate interests is one that McDuffie rode to a decisive victory this week in the first wide-open race for the Ward 5 council seat in more than a decade. The level of support also has some saying that the District’s progressives — those pushing for more aggressive reform in government — are getting a louder voice in city politics.
“Has the progressive community been awakened and is Kenyan McDuffie the guy who did that?” asked political consultant Chuck Thies. “I think on council you will see the progressive wing [get] an emboldened voice.”
McDuffie acknowledged the heavy support from the city’s progressives but noted he also had strong support among Ward 5’s seniors and families.
“This ward isn’t as divided as some people think it is,” he said Wednesday. “I think the message that Ward 5 sent yesterday is they want honest, independent, ethical leadership. Not just [for] some segments in the ward, but for everybody.”
He added his landslide victory is a mandate from residents to “restore trust in the seat.”
“It’s also a mandate to get things done,” he said.
Supporters say McDuffie represents a rebuff of machine politics. He is a former prosecutor who won the council seat vacated by Harry Thomas Jr., who resigned and pleaded guilty to stealing more than $350,000 from the city. A member of the Thomas family has held the Ward 5 seat for most of the last quarter-century.
“Most of the council members have had very involved parents in the political scene,” Weaver said. “I think Kenyan has his hand on the pulse on the other side of Washington.”
McDuffie’s arrival to city hall also means Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells could have company on some of his more aggressive government reform proposals. Wells is known — for better or worse — for being willing to be the lone voice on any issue he finds important. He also endorsed McDuffie and was the only council member to take a side in the election.
“I think the citizens that are really upset about the ethics of the city council, they’ve got a new ally,” said Wells, when asked whether he had a new ally in the John A. Wilson Building. “They can trust that Kenyan will be influenced only in the merits of any cause and not by any financial interests.”
