Trayon White, the former member of the Washington, D.C. City Council, won reelection to the Ward 8 seat he was expelled from in the July 15 special election.
Federal law enforcement officials arrested White last August on a bribery charge, leading the D.C. Council to expel him in February after an internal investigation. White was able to run in the special election for Ward 8, which includes southeast D.C., because he has not been convicted of a felony.
White allegedly accepted $156,000 in cash payments in order to extend two companies’ contracts with the District, which were worth over $5 million. He has pleaded not guilty.
White said his win reflects Ward 8’s will to keep him in office after the Associated Press called the race Tuesday night.
“I got in this race unsure of what was gonna happen,” White said in a July 15 Instagram post. “The power’s in the people, and we came together tonight for an agenda to say that Ward 8 is one of the greatest wards.”
White added that he looks forward to working with the rest of the D.C. Council and the mayor’s office in the future.
“We want a high quality of life for all of our residents on the Anacostia River,” White said. “We have a strategic plan, and we want to meet with all the members of the Council, also the mayor.”
D.C. law would bar White from holding office if convicted of a felony during his federal trial, which is scheduled to begin in January 2026.
The D.C. Council can also vote to expel White a second time. Last month, the councilmembers considered adding a rule that would have permitted them to expel White a second time if he won reelection without conducting a new investigation. The Council did not adopt the rule change.
White faced three challengers in the election and took home 28.4% of the vote as of July 17. Sheila Bunn, who won 24.7% of the vote, placed second to White by less than 200 votes as of July 17. Mike Austin, the legislative director to former Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May, won 24.4% of the vote, and Salim Adofo, a tenant organizer and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, won 22.5%.
Bunn, who served as chief of staff to former D.C. Mayor and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray, said she will continue to advocate on behalf of Ward 8.
“While the outcome of this race leaves more questions than answers about the future of our political leadership, the work of improving Ward 8 belongs not just to one person — but all of us,” Bunn wrote in a July 17 Instagram post.
The election results are scheduled to be certified Aug. 8.