Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced Nov. 25 that she will not run for re-election in the 2026 mayoral race, sparking mixed reflections on her tenure among Georgetown University community members.
In a video posted on X, Bowser announced that after serving ten years, she has decided not to seek a fourth term. Bowser’s statement comes after growing backlash from local residents and Georgetown students over her handling of the Trump administration’s federalization of D.C.’s police force.
Bowser said she will continue to focus on delivering her agenda for the District as her time as mayor comes to a close.
“Together you and I have built a legacy of success of which I am intensely proud,” Bowser said in the video. “And for the next twelve months, let’s run through the tape and keep winning for D.C.”
Bowser won her first mayoral race in 2014 after defeating incumbent Vincent C. Gray in the Democratic primary and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. Bowser presided over the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation and removal of Black Lives Matter Plaza, the Jan. 6 riots and President Donald Trump’s federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in August.
Uwe Brandes, the faculty director of Georgetown’s urban & regional planning program and adjunct faculty at Georgetown University Law Center (GULC), said that although problems persist, Bowser’s growth of the city’s budget fostered strong social programs for D.C. residents.
“Cities are always a work in progress and depend on community-based, collective action,” Brandes wrote to The Hoya. “When reflecting on Mayor Bowser’s tenure, one might start with the fact that the city’s budget has nearly doubled from approximately $11 billion (2015) to $21 billion (2025). This alone is extraordinary and positions the District of Columbia to deliver a strong social safety net in many different ways, including affordable housing and public education.”
Brandes said Bowser made the city’s economy more resilient by expanding it beyond federal government jobs.
“Mayor Bowser grabbed headlines with high-profile agreements with professional sports teams, but behind those headlines lies an economic development strategy to diversify the city’s economy beyond its historic dependence on federal government jobs,” Brandes wrote. “This has made DC more resilient and affirms Washington, DC, as an international destination.”
Ishaan Pabla (MSB ’27), a D.C. resident, said Bowser has failed to maintain the District’s autonomy, citing the 1973 Home Rule Act, which entrusted municipal governance from Congress to a locally elected mayor and City Council.
“In my opinion, one of Mayor Bowser’s biggest failures was the removal of Black Lives Matter Plaza, representing a symbolic submission to federal pressure,” Pabla wrote to The Hoya. “Therefore, the next mayor must firmly communicate and demonstrate the District’s authority as defined in the DC Home Rule Act to prevent further encroachment.”
Trump deployed the National Guard to patrol the District Aug. 11, citing an “epidemic of crime” in the District. Critics have argued that the move constitutes a significant rollback of local autonomy guaranteed to the District in the Home Rule Act.
Bowser has presided over massive development projects, including the Wharf, Navy Yard, and CityCenterDC, attracting new business clientele while driving up the city’s overall cost of living.
Pabla said Bowser’s push for gentrification is not evenly distributed among D.C. neighborhoods.
“Mayor Bowser has undoubtedly overseen mass economic development across DC with the revitalization of neighborhoods and construction of commercial complexes,” Pabla wrote. “I feel, however, that her investment in communities of Ward 8 and other underdeveloped areas has not matched the gentrification occurring elsewhere. Housing costs are increasing district-wide, with much of Wards 7 and 8 still relying on social services.”
Bowser said her successes with investment and fresh food grants are evidence that she has not neglected Wards 7 and 8.
“So over one billion dollars has just been invested in Congress Heights alone,” Bowser said at a Nov. 26 press conference. “I look at our food access grants–we hadn’t been able to attract fresh food or dining in Ward 8 and that grant has just changed all of that.”
Jamie Kralovec, director of mission and ministry at Georgetown’s Capitol Campus and a faculty member of Georgetown’s urban & regional planning program, said criticisms of Bowser neglect the challenges of balancing urban development and affordability.
“I teach urban planning, and I’ve been studying this for a long time,” Kralovec told The Hoya. “There’s no way around the reality of our market economy and the way that development happens in the United States. It’s a really hard balancing act between promoting economic activity and growth and preserving affordability for existing residents.”
Kralovec said that despite backlash, Bowser has tried to alleviate the potential displacement of residents from gentrification.
“I think the mayor has made efforts to ensure that low income people, including existing black residents, lower income black residents, benefit from that growth,” Kralovec said.
Pabla said Bowser’s successor should focus on affordability, public safety and alleviating homelessness.
“I believe the path forward is for the next mayor to focus on directly addressing homelessness and affordability, implementing lasting methods for low-income residents to attain self-sufficiency,” Pabla said. “These programs would subsequently lead to an enduring decline in crime irrespective of national trends, benefitting all Washingtonians.”
