The 2026 D.C. Democratic primary election is around the corner. Technically, Election Day is Tuesday, June 16th but ballots have already been mailed out, with drop-boxes already open for deposit. This will be the first ever election in DC using Ranked Choice Voting. More details here.

You should review The 51st’s Voter Guide before voting.

Seven candidates are on the ballot trying to replace the incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser. Here are the responses to each question (listed in ballot order, except Ernest E. Johnson, who did not respond)

What actions would you take in your first few months in office to help DC bars, restaurants, and other nightlife (including their workers) thrive?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: My first months as Mayor will have concrete action to make DC’s regulatory and public safety environment work for the nightlife and hospitality industry. I will launch a single integrated digital licensing portal, eliminating the multi-agency maze that forces operators to track applications across incompatible systems with misaligned deadlines. The goal is to cut the average time to legally open a business in DC by 50% within 2 years. Renewal schedules across agencies will be aligned so businesses won’t face staggered deadlines from multiple offices throughout the year, and a “Business Launch Navigator” pairing AI tools with a real human guide will walk new operators through permitting, zoning, and compliance from Day One to opening day.

Just this past week, Georgetown Cupcakes experienced someone throwing a keg through their window. When crimes like this happen, it forces businesses to close, keeps customers away, and takes business owners away from the real focus of running their business. I will direct MPD to deploy dedicated resources to high-crime commercial corridors, with a specific focus on repeat property crime like burglary and robbery that drives away workers and customers alike. Expanded streetlight coverage and security cameras in commercial areas, paired with a direct feedback channel between business owners and district commanders, will give the industry the safety infrastructure it deserves. I will also issue a Day One directive ending MPD cooperation with ICE, protecting the immigrant workers who are central to this industry’s workforce.

Rini Sampath: DC lost an average of two restaurants a week in 2025, and there are three immediate actions I would take. First, fix permitting. Delays at DC agencies, like ABCA, drain cash before a single drink is poured. I will create a dedicated hospitality permit track with published timelines, a named point of contact, and automatic fee refunds if the city misses its own deadlines. Second, I will work with the Night Mayor’s office to launch a nightlife activation fund to anchor venues in commercial corridors still recovering from federal job losses and economic disruption. Third, I will direct MPD and DPW to treat the blocks around DC’s entertainment corridors as cleanliness and safety priorities during venue hours because a street that feels unsafe or dirty is bad for every business on it.

Gary Goodweather: I intend to transform D.C.’s business climate from one that penalizes local establishments to one that actively supports them through administrative and operational reform. I will immediately overhaul the Department of Buildings and licensing systems to reduce costs and delays, while providing each business with a dedicated city concierge to guide them through the bureaucratic process from application to final approval. To further reduce overhead for restaurants and bars, he plans to appoint consumer-protective utility commissioners to lower energy costs and will implement a Rat-free DC plan to address the city’s rodent crisis through reorganized trash services and expanded prevention. Industry workers will receive a direct financial boost through my Fare Free initiative, which will return approximately $1,000 annually to regular commuters by eliminating transit fees. I additionally commit to fully staffing the 911 call centers and the Metropolitan Police Department, while fostering deeper community ties through local discount programs that encourage law enforcement to patronize and be visible in neighborhood businesses.

Janeese Lewis George: Our hospitality sector is a critical economic driver for DC, and as mayor, I will be on the ground listening to owners and workers, just as I have as Ward 4 Councilmember.

What I am hearing so far from the restaurant and nightlife community is that DC needs to make it easier for new businesses to open and existing ones to stay open.

As mayor, I will use a multi-faceted approach to support our community’s businesses and workers including by 1) streamlining permitting and licensing; 2) supporting innovative ideas like streateries and pop-ups; 3) pushing legislation that eliminates credit card swipe fees on taxes and tips and that reduces the cost of liquor liability insurance; 4) providing technical and backroom support for new owners; 5) supporting workers who organize for fair wages, benefits, and protections on the job; and 6) overhauling Department of Employment Services and empowering that agency to work with Office of Attorney General to enforce wage theft.

I am especially eager to create a one-stop shop for licensing and permitting. Right now, bar, restaurant, and venue owners have to interface with multiple agencies and sometimes go in-person to meet requirements. I will utilize technology to make our city more efficient, so it’s seamless to meet all of DC’s rules.

I am also excited about my universal affordable childcare plan, which helps the restaurant and nightlife industry by ensuring that unaffordable childcare does not keep people from working. My plan also expands the types of providers, giving families who work late into the night flexibility and options for care.

DC’s cultural identity is shaped not only by our museums and monuments, but by the artists, venues, theatres, and festivals that bring life to the city every day. I’ll support our arts and entertainment community by bringing back the Office of Nightlife and Culture, so there’s a strong advocate who can problem-solve within the Mayor’s office. I’ll also require that the RFK stadium development reserve a percentage of art and music performances for paid opportunities for local artists, and that DC-based organizations lead major festivals attracting national and global talent.

Hope Solomon: First, I’d stop treating bars and restaurants like they’re some kind of optional ‘nice-to-have’ instead of what they actually are in DC: a major employer, a tax base, and a big part of why people still choose to live in this city.

In the first few months, I’d go after the stuff that actually kills nightlife — the permitting delays, the licensing maze, and the random friction that turns opening a business into a second full-time job. If it takes longer to get approval to open a small bar than it does to open a federal office building, we’ve lost the plot.

I’d also push for real coordination between MPD, ABCA, and the city agencies that touch nightlife, so business owners aren’t stuck navigating five different interpretations of the same rule depending on who answers the phone that day.

And I’d be very clear about this: nightlife workers aren’t an afterthought. If we want a city that’s alive after 6 p.m., then the people who make that possible — servers, bartenders, cooks, security — need policies that recognize them as essential workers in practice, not just in speeches.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I’ll streamline licensing and permitting, improve public safety, expand nightlife marketing, support late-night transportation, and establish a Nightlife Industry Roundtable. I’ll continue supporting workers through fair wages, sick leave, and workforce protections.

What laws would you support/push DC Council to pass to help bars, restaurants, and other nightlife (including their workers) thrive?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: The legislative agenda I will advance for this industry addresses wages, worker safety, transit policy, and the streatery program. I will push to make the cashless protections in the Entertainment Establishment Employee Safety Amendment Act permanent and extend them to all food service establishments, closing the arbitrary gap that currently leaves fast-casual restaurants without the same tools as late-night operators. Reforming the Parking Cashout Law to fit the actual schedules of hospitality workers, including late nights, early mornings, and irregular shifts at locations with limited late-night transit access, is also a priority. I will support continued CPI-indexed increases advanced through the Mayor-Council deliberative process. This approach delivers real gains for workers without the sudden cost shocks that accelerate closures. We should make the emergency streatery legislation permanent which would lock in the $15 per square foot fee and design flexibility.

Rini Sampath: The legislation I will push for aims to address the structural problems driving closures, not just the symptoms. First, a hospitality fast-track licensing act that sets hard statutory deadlines for ABCA and Department of Buildings reviews, with real consequences when the city misses them. Second, I will push DDOT to offer pre-approved streatery design templates so small operators are not paying architects thousands of dollars just to get back to where they were in 2022. Third, a nightlife venue preservation ordinance that protects existing bars and music venues from displacement as neighborhoods redevelop. And fourth, a service charge transparency law ensuring those charges actually go to workers.

Gary Goodweather: To support the success of D.C.’s bars, restaurants, and nightlife establishments, I will push the Council to pass a legislative agenda that shifts the city’s focus from penalizing small businesses to providing them with the tools and infrastructure to succeed. My plan addresses the high costs of operation, bureaucratic barriers, and the financial stability of the workers who power this industry. The district currently makes it incredibly hard to do business due to costly and time-consuming permitting. I will push for a complete overhaul of the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the Department of Professional Licensing and Compliance to reduce the time and expense required for licensing. This includes legislating a single point of contact concierge system within the government to ensure business owners have a dedicated guide from the moment they submit an application until final approval, preventing them from failing into a bureaucratic void.

Janeese Lewis George: As mayor, I will push to pass the Fair Swipe Act to eliminate credit card processing fees on sales tax and gratuities, reducing unnecessary operating costs for restaurants, venues, bars, and small businesses across DC’s hospitality and cultural sectors. According to the restaurant association, a full-service restaurant could save roughly $14,500 per year.

I’ll also push my bill allowing DC to offer three-year rent guarantees to qualifying local businesses, giving small and local businesses opportunities in prime retail space that have generally been only for national chains.

I understand speaking to owners that liquor liability insurance is still very expensive for bars and restaurants, despite the passage of the Dram Shop Clarification Act passed by Council in 2024. I will identify legislative paths to lower premium costs.

Hope Solomon: I’d start by making it harder for the city to accidentally suffocate the very businesses it says it wants to support. That means real reform of the licensing and permitting process — not another task force, not another ‘streamlining initiative’ that produces a pamphlet, but actual statutory deadlines, automatic approvals when agencies miss them, and one clear point of contact so small business owners aren’t playing bureaucratic whack-a-mole.

I’d push for zoning and alcohol licensing updates that reflect how DC actually functions today, not how someone imagined it functioned 30 years ago — especially in mixed-use corridors where nightlife is already part of the neighborhood fabric.

I’d also support stronger protections for nightlife workers — fair scheduling standards, wage enforcement with teeth, and making sure we don’t romanticize the industry while ignoring the people who keep it running on late nights and weekends.

And finally, I’d be very direct about enforcement consistency: if the rules change depending on which ward you’re in or which inspector shows up, then we don’t really have rules — we have roulette.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I support legislation that streamlines regulations, expands outdoor dining flexibility, supports live entertainment, strengthens workforce protections, reduces unnecessary fees, and creates tax and grant incentives to help nightlife businesses grow and hire locally.

Do you believe the current $15/square foot rent for DC streateries is appropriate? If not, what should be the appropriate rent?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: The $15 per square foot rate is the right number, and my position is that it should be made permanent. The prior $20 per square foot rate placed an unnecessary burden on operators at a moment when the industry was still finding its footing post-pandemic. I will push to make the $15 per square foot permanent. This will help restaurant operators have to invest in their streatery spaces with confidence that the rules will not shift under them.

Rini Sampath: No. The $15 per square foot rate was set without a real analysis of what it costs to build and operate a streatery, and it has been a barrier to expansion, particularly for smaller, independent operators who cannot absorb that cost on thin margins. I would direct DDOT to conduct a formal review of streatery rent rates in the first 90 days and set a rate that reflects actual operating economics for different types and sizes of streateries, not a one-size-fits-all number.

Gary Goodweather: The District’s current approach of charging $15 per square foot for streateries is a prime example of a government that has become fundamentally anti-business and focuses ion penalizing local establishments rather than supporting them. My administration believes the city government should be a relationship builder rather than a transactional regulator, which is why I have committed to a line-by-line review of every city agency and program to eliminate the bureaucracy that currently makes it incredibly hard to do business and live in our city. When fees like this are set by politicians who do not understand the practical implications for small business owners, they effectively act as a penalty that stifles neighborhood growth. Affordability must be the foundation of our city, and that includes ensuring our local restaurants aren’t being pushed out by excessive costs. Instead of burdensome fees, we should be providing tools for businesses to thrive and ensuring any operational costs are fair, transparent, and balanced against the goal of keeping our city open for business.

Janeese Lewis George: Streateries are very good for DC. They enliven streets, bring neighbors together, build communities, create safety through more eyes on the street, help restaurants thrive, increase tax revenue, and help create good jobs. If you go to the great cities of Europe, you’ll see streateries all over the place. We should move in that direction and that means revisiting the permitting fees to make it easier to implement beautiful options and reduce costs, particularly for restaurants struggling to just get by.

Hope Solomon: I don’t think streateries should be treated like premium real estate the city is trying to monetize. These aren’t luxury add-ons; they’re part of what keeps neighborhoods alive and restaurants viable.

At most, the city should be recovering actual costs for upkeep and administration, not treating sidewalk space like a revenue stream. If we want vibrant streets and successful small businesses, we should be lowering friction, not pricing people out of participation in their own city.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I believe the current rate should be reviewed with industry input. Streateries helped businesses survive and activate neighborhoods. Fees should be fair, predictable, and structured to support small businesses while balancing public space and city revenue needs.

In general, do you believe the current DC streatery rules are just about right, should be looser (to potentially result in more) or stricter (to potentially result in fewer)

Kenyan R. McDuffie: The streatery rules should mirror those in the Streatery Program Emergency Amendment Act of 2025. That legislation did two important things: it (1) reduced annual fees from $20 to $15 per square foot and (2) authorized the Public Space Committee to grant case-by-case exceptions for design standards, including enclosed structures and more flexible location criteria. I was a co-introducer of that bill because the original DDOT rules were pricing operators out of a program that had become central to how DC neighborhoods eat and draw foot traffic. A one-size-fits-all approach that works on 14th Street NW will not work on a neighborhood block in Ward 7 or Ward 8, because different corridors have different physical constraints and different customer bases that a rigid uniform standard cannot accommodate. I will preserve and expand the Public Space Committee’s case-by-case exception authority in any permanent legislation, so operators have the design latitude to build spaces that anchor their corridors. The District should lock in the $15 per square foot fee and give restaurant operators the stability to invest in their streatery spaces with confidence that the rules will not shift under them.

Rini Sampath: Looser. Streateries have been one of the most successful pandemic-era policy innovations DC has produced. They generate foot traffic, support small businesses, and make streets more lively. The current rules are still too restrictive: approval timelines are too long, design requirements are too prescriptive, and the cost structure disadvantages independent operators. I will streamline the approval process and give operators more flexibility on design while maintaining basic safety and accessibility standards.

Gary Goodweather: As Mayor, I believe the current D.C. streatery rules are a clear reflection of a government that has become fundamentally anti-business and focuses more on penalizing local establishments than on helping them thrive. Because the District’s regulatory systems are too costly and take too long, they make it incredibly difficult for small businesses to survive and grow. To fix this, I will immediately overhaul the Department of Buildings and the licensing systems to ensure that permitting is fast, affordable, and transparent. My administration will replace the current transactional roadblock with a relationship builder approach, implementing a single point of contact concierge system to guide businesses owners through the process and prevent their applications from failing into bureaucratic “void”. Furthermore, I have pledged a line-by-line review of all city programs to identify and eliminate the specific requirements that act as a financial penalty on our residents and businesses. By loosening these administrative and financial burdens and shifting our default from no to yes, we will make DC open for business and ensure that families are able to afford to stay and enjoy the vibrant communities they help build.

Janeese Lewis George: I have spoken to restaurant owners who’ve spent hours navigating DC’s bureaucracy to try and open a streatery. The city makes it nearly impossible for owners, particularly for owners whose primary language is not English.

Our streateries must have structural requirements and safety standards. But the DC government must make it easier for businesses to navigate the process.

Many restaurant owners have spent countless hours and a lot of money opening streateries only to be forced to tear them down because of a short-sighted and abrupt change in the rules. That damaged our restaurant sector and hurt our city. I’ll create predictability and thriving by changing our policies to help streateries flourish.

Hope Solomon: Looser: because right now the system still feels like it was designed with the assumption that outdoor dining is an exception to be tolerated, not a feature to be encouraged.

If we actually want a city that’s vibrant, walkable, and competitive with other major cities, then streateries shouldn’t be treated like a temporary workaround we’re constantly re-litigating – they should be a normal, predictable part of how restaurants operate.

That doesn’t mean no rules. It means clear rules, consistent enforcement, and a default posture of ‘yes, if it’s safe and well-run’ instead of ‘no, unless you successfully navigate six layers of approval and timing luck.’

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I support flexible and balanced streatery rules that encourage outdoor dining, economic activity, and vibrant neighborhoods while maintaining public safety, accessibility, and community input. We should continue refining—not overburdening—the program.

Would you support or oppose efforts to eliminate the tipped minimum wage (currently set to be capped at 75% of the standard minimum wage in 2034)?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: I have consistently supported higher wages for DC workers, including every minimum wage increase that has come before the DC Council, helping make DC’s minimum wage one of the highest in the nation. However, I do not support the proposed changes through the ballot initiative process. On July 1, 2026, the District’s minimum wage increases to $18.40 per hour for all employees regardless of employer size. The right approach is to continue indexing minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index, which allows wages to grow in line with the cost of living without creating the conditions for accelerated automation and layoffs. We must also view wage policy regionally. The District does not exist in an economic vacuum and we compete with Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Arlington, Loudoun, and other jurisdictions for businesses, workers, and investment. Unilateral wage increases that outpace our neighbors risk putting DC at a competitive disadvantage, driving businesses and jobs across the border. Any meaningful progress on wages should be pursued in coordination with our regional partners so that workers across the metro area benefit without the District bearing the cost alone. Pushing the minimum wage to $25 too fast risks increasing costs for businesses too quickly and also risks displacing workers through automation.

On the tipped minimum wage, I support DC’s workers, and the best ways to support them is to preserve the industry that employs them and to ensure wage theft is vigorously enforced. Eliminating the tipped minimum wage would threaten the viability of restaurants that are already operating on thin margins in a difficult environment. That outcome does not help workers, which is why I, along with the majority of the DC Council, came up with a compromise to the tipped minimum wage through a deliberative, legislative process.

Rini Sampath: I would vote no on Initiative 87 if it were to make the ballot.

Gary Goodweather: I oppose the efforts to eliminate the tipped minimum wage because I believe this decision should remain a matter of worker choice and industry flexibility. This type of mandate is a primary example of a government that has become anti-business by imposing requirements that often penalize the very residents and local establishments they are meant to help. Too often, these policies are developed by politicians that have no idea what the implications are for the people working on the ground, creating a regulatory environment that is too costly and makes it incredibly hard for our neighborhood anchors to survive. My administration will shift the city’s posture to be a relationship builder rather than a transactional regulator, focusing on lowering the foundation of costs through initiatives like Fare-Free DC, which puts approximately $1,000 annually back into the pockets of workers, and the Capital Corps, which creates clear career pathways. While I personally oppose this elimination, I remain a fierce defender of Home Rule and have pledged to defend and advocate for all duly passed DC legislation to protect the will of our residents from federal interference, even when I do not personally support the specific policy.

Janeese Lewis George: DC is at its best when restaurants and restaurant workers, and everyone who works tipped-wage jobs, are all thriving.

When I was working my way through law school, I was a tipped worker–a restaurant server. I know how hard the unpredictable hours and tips can be. Toward the end of the month, I often gave lucrative shifts to colleagues who had kids since I knew they needed to make rent and didn’t want to see their children suffer.

Because of my own experience, as well as hearing from other restaurant workers, I voted in favor of Initiative 77 and 82, both of which passed by considerable margins. I support implementing the will of the voters.

Hope Solomon: I support getting to a system where workers are paid fairly and transparently, but I don’t think DC should keep whipsawing the restaurant industry without a serious, realistic look at how these changes actually play out on the ground.

The goal should be stable, predictable pay for workers without unintentionally undermining the very businesses that employ them because you can’t help service workers by creating a model that makes fewer service jobs viable in the first place.

So I’m open to reforming the tipped wage structure, but it has to be done with real input from workers and small business owners, and with an honest accounting of what happens to prices, staffing, and survival rates – not just good intentions on paper.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I supported raising and indexing the minimum wage and securing paid sick leave for tipped workers. I believe we must protect workers while also ensuring restaurants and nightlife businesses remain economically viable and competitive in the District.

The current DC government telework policy allows most office workers to work maximum one regular telework day a week. Would you keep that policy, make it stricter, or loosen to allow more regular telework days a week?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: I would keep the current policy of four days in the office and one day of telework per week. This strikes the right balance for where DC is today. The pandemic required extraordinary measures, and expanded telework made sense then. That moment has passed. Four days in the office and one day of telework reflects where we should be now.

Rini Sampath: Blanket telework policies do not work in either direction. A one-size-fits-all rule that applies the same standard to a 911 dispatcher and a budget analyst makes no sense. I will evaluate telework role by role, based on whether services are being delivered and residents are being served. Where the answer is yes, flexibility should follow. Where it is not, it should not. The goal is a government that performs, not one that performs the appearance of showing up.

Gary Goodweather: Our city works best when leadership shows up, listens, and delivers consistently, and that same standard must apply to every city employee responsible for serving our residents. My administration is focused on outcomes people can actually feel, which means city services must respect residents time and be easy for people to access. Whether through telework or in-person service, our government must function as a relationship builder and provide a single point of contact to guide neighbors through the bureaucratic process. I will implement public dashboards and clear performance benchmarks to ensure accountability. If any policy, including telework, gets in the way of rapid emergency response or efficient business permitting, ti will be overhauled to ensure we are delivering the measurable improvements every ward deserves. Our priority is a functional city that supports the vibrancy of our neighborhoods and ensures D.C. is open for business.

Janeese Lewis George: We need a DC government that delivers on its mission and its promises, which means putting our workers in the position to best do their duties, and DC government workers being present downtown is an important part of the city’s overall economy. I believe we can achieve both of these goals while also providing reasonable accommodations like telework.

DC workers should be in situations where they can do their best work, for their work to be sustainable, and to attract committed/skilled people into our workforce. Not all positions are conducive to telework but where we can, I’d like to see options available. What makes sense varies by role.

Hope Solomon: I’d loosen it because pretending DC government work only happens in the building is a bit outdated at this point. The question shouldn’t be ‘how many days are people physically sitting in an office,’ it should be ‘is the work getting done, and is the city actually being served.’

If anything, we should be focused on performance, responsiveness, and accountability not micromanaging where a laptop is open on a given Tuesday. And if a job truly requires being in person every day, then fine make that case. But as a blanket rule, one-size-fits-all telework limits feel more like symbolism than effective management.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I support a balanced approach that prioritizes productivity, customer service, employee retention, and downtown economic activity. Agencies should maintain flexibility while ensuring government services remain efficient, accountable, and responsive to residents.

What is your favorite DC restaurant?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: Ben’s Chili Bowl

Rini Sampath: Namak

Gary Goodweather: Teaism

Janeese Lewis George: Andrene’s Caribbean and Soul Food. Andrene just knows how to make a mean mac and cheese. The jerk chicken wings are top tier. DC needs to give more love to our carryouts!

Hope Solomon: I’ll just say this: I’ve got a lot of respect for the restaurants in this city that manage to be consistent, welcoming, and still standing after everything DC throws at small businesses — from rising costs to shifting rules to the general chaos of running a kitchen in a major city. And as a small business owner myself, I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is to keep something like that going — which is why I’ve used my platform to consistently promote and support small businesses across the city. I’m not sure I have one ‘favorite’ — how do you even pick one in a city like this? — but I do have a lot of appreciation for the people in this city who keep the restaurant scene alive, because they’re doing it the hard way, every single night.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): Hitching Post

What is your favorite DC bar / music venue / other hang-out?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: Ivy City Smokehouse

Rini Sampath: 9:30 Club

Gary Goodweather: Penn Social

Janeese Lewis George: Shanklin Hall

Hope Solomon: Madam’s Organ, Showtime, 9:30 [Club]

Vincent Orange (“VO”): San Antonio Bar & Grill/ 1865 Restaurant/ Park//Takoma Station

Why should a Barred in DC reader vote for you?

Kenyan R. McDuffie: I am a lifelong Washingtonian who has delivered results, not just empty promises. Raised in Stronghold in Northeast DC, I spent over 13 years on the DC Council fighting for safer streets, more affordable housing, stronger schools, and a government accountable to its residents.

I have also been a consistent champion of DC’s bars, restaurants, and nightlife industry throughout my time on the Council. This sector is unlike any other in our economy. More than 90% of DC’s food and beverage establishments are independently owned and operated, not national chains. These are small business owners who live in our neighborhoods, hire our neighbors, and take real risks to build something that makes our city so special. When the pandemic threatened to wipe out this industry, I secured $100 million in emergency relief grants to help restaurants, bars, and hospitality businesses survive. That money was a lifeline to our hospitality industry, ensuring our small and local businesses kept the boards off the windows, workers were able to stay employed, and residents and visitors could continue to go to their favorite spots across the city.

DC is at a real inflection point. We are facing serious fiscal challenges, a public safety crisis that demands both accountability and smart prevention, and an affordability problem that is pushing working families out of the city they built. I have the record and the vision to lead us through it, and I will work tirelessly to deliver as your next mayor.

Rini Sampath: I am the only candidate in this race who has not been inside that system. I have spent my career fixing broken government programs, not running them. I will fix DC’s basics so that the bars, restaurants, and neighborhoods you love can actually thrive.

Gary Goodweather: I have called Washington, D.C. home for over 20 years, and I truly love the unique energy and connection that our nightlife, bars, and restaurants bring to our neighborhoods. A truly Free D.C. is one that supports our residents, businesses, and guests, which is why I am committed to ending the anti-business culture that currently penalizes the establishments that make our city vibrant. My administration will shift the government’s focus to being a relationship builder, overhauling the Department of Buildings to remove the bureaucratic hurdles that make it incredibly hard to do business and providing a single point of contact concierge to guide our nightlife entrepreneurs to success. By lowering utility costs through Power D.C., addressing the rodent crisis with Rat-Free D.C., and supporting industry workers through Fare-Free transit, we will ensure our nightlife community remains a strong and affordable pillar of life in the District.

Janeese Lewis George: Mayor Bowser and her administration have prioritized big developers and national chains over the rest of us. As mayor, I will prioritize support for our DC-based and small businesses because I know they are deeply committed to the communities they serve and make our neighborhoods special.

If you are a small business owner who is tired of the red tape and headaches, consider ranking me #1. If you are a worker who wants the support of your mayor when you fight for a better workplace, consider ranking me #1. DC can put people first.

Hope Solomon: Because I actually live in the same reality your readers do — not the version of DC that exists in press releases or carefully worded talking points. I’m a small business owner, so I’ve dealt with the permits, the costs, the staffing issues, and all the everyday friction that comes with trying to keep something open in this city without losing your mind.

I’m not running to ‘manage’ the status quo or explain why things are the way they are — we’ve got plenty of people already doing that. I’m running to fix the stuff that makes DC harder to live in than it needs to be: affordability, basic city function, and the barriers that keep good ideas stuck in committee meetings instead of actually happening.

And I’m not interested in culture-war governance or political theater. I care about whether the city works for the people who actually show up every day and keep it alive especially the workers and small businesses that make DC worth going out in the first place.

Vincent Orange (“VO”): I have a proven record of supporting nightlife, workers, and small businesses. I helped raise wages, secure paid sick leave, resolve restaurant-food truck conflicts, and grow local economic opportunity. I’ll continue fighting for a safer, stronger, and more vibrant DC nightlife economy.