Robert White, an at-large member of the D.C. Council, won the Democratic nomination for the district’s nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the D.C. Board of Elections. White secured more than 63% of the vote in a five-candidate field, easily clearing the 50% threshold in the district’s first election to use ranked-choice voting.
The race was the Democratic contest to succeed Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who announced in January that she would not seek reelection after more than 35 years representing Washington, D.C., in Congress. White celebrated Norton in his victory speech Tuesday night, calling her “D.C.’s warrior on the Hill” and pledging to continue her work.
“I too will not yield on behalf of the people of Washington, D.C.,” White said. “Because our turn will never come unless we demand it. Eleanor Holmes Norton understood that.”
The delegate seat is nonvoting — D.C., along with five other jurisdictions including Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, sends a representative to the House who may participate in debate and committee work but cannot cast votes on final legislation. White’s victory positions him to take on the role in November, carrying forward Norton’s long-standing advocacy for D.C. statehood and full representation.
White will face Republican Denise Rosado and Kymone Freeman of the D.C. Statehood Green Party in the general election.
In a separate race on Tuesday’s ballot, D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George led the Democratic primary for mayor with 52.79% of the vote, followed by Kenyan R. McDuffie at 36.57%, according to unofficial results.