DC Voters Cast Ballots in Crucial Vote 06/16 06:10

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Voters in the nation's capital head to the polls on 
Tuesday to select party candidates for mayor and the district's delegate to 
Congress, an election taking place as Washington undergoes major change under 
President Donald Trump's administration.

   The primary marks the first time in a generation that D.C. residents will 
vote for a new mayor and delegate in the same election. And in an 
overwhelmingly Democratic city, that party's winner is expected to come out on 
top in the general election in November.

   The most prominent race is for mayor after Muriel Bowser, who was first 
elected in 2014, decided not to seek a fourth term. Democratic front-runners 
Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie are hoping to replace her.

   The district's long-serving congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is 
also stepping down, with top candidates council member Brooke Pinto and 
at-large council member Robert White Jr. vying for the role. Republican Denise 
Rosado, an immigration lawyer, is running unopposed.

   The primary will include rank choice voting for the first time, which D.C. 
election officials have warned could delay results for days.

   Trump looms large over the vote

   Central to all the campaigns has been the city's fraught relationship with 
the Trump administration and the federal government. The city has limited 
autonomy and federal leaders retain significant control over local affairs, 
including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.

   That autonomy has been further squeezed under Trump, who launched a federal 
law enforcement surge last summer and sent in the National Guard for an 
ongoing, open-ended deployment. Trump's efforts to downsize the federal 
government also roiled the capital region, costing thousands of people their 
jobs. He has also been reshaping the city by removing or renovating storied 
landmarks and putting his name or image on buildings.

   Trump just last week threatened a new federal takeover of Washington, when 
asked about his response to a potential victory by Lewis George, a democratic 
socialist.

   "Maybe we'd take back Washington, run it on the federal basis," he said.

   Bowser found herself walking a fine line between staying in Trump's good 
graces and responding to the concerns of constituents, many of whom said she 
didn't push back hard enough on Trump's actions.

   Republicans in Congress meanwhile have used their oversight authority to 
challenge the local government's limited autonomy.

   "We are the capital of the United States, and it's an incredibly symbolic 
place, this city," said Amanda Huron, a professor at the University of the 
District of Columbia who teaches courses on D.C. history and politics.

   She said it's important to remind the public that what the federal 
government does to its capital city is a harbinger of "how it's going to treat 
the rest of the country as well."

   Federal intervention, affordability among candidates' top priorities

   Lewis George, in responding to questions sent by The Associated Press, said 
her top priority is addressing "the affordability crisis here in DC, which the 
Trump administration has only made worse by unjustly firing federal employees 
en masse and militarizing our streets."

   McDuffie said his top priority is public safety. He would add 1,000 police 
officers over four years and take a public health approach to violence 
reduction that would include a focus on mental health.

   Other candidates for mayor include former council member Vincent Orange and 
Hope Solomon, a former federal contractor who lost her job because of cuts by 
the Department of Government Efficiency.

   Some residents have expressed concern on how Trump will react to pushback. 
Pat Wheeler, who lives in Washington, said candidates must be realistic. Trump 
still has enormous power over the Republican Congress and could easily order 
members to take steps against the city's home rule authority, she said.

   Five people are seeking to replace Norton, who is finishing her 18th term 
representing D.C. in Congress. Norton, 89, faced heavy pressure to stand down 
by critics, including her former chief of staff, who said she was diminished 
and not capable of mounting the defense the moment called for against Trump.

   Pinto and White both say their top priority for the city is self-governance 
along with affordability for middle and working class residents.

   Other candidates seeking the Democratic spot on the ticket include Trent 
Holbrook, a former Norton staffer; Kenney Zalesne, the former Deputy National 
Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee; and Gregory Jaczko, former 
chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.