2026 June Election Endorsements
April 25, 2026
DC suffers from a housing shortage. We don't have enough homes, and we haven't for decades.
DC suffers from a housing shortage. We don't have enough homes, and we haven't for decades. The leaders we elect this cycle will shape whether that finally changes.
The next mayor and Council will steer DC's Comprehensive Plan, the once-in-a-generation document that determines where homes can be built across the District through 2050. The draft Future Land Use Map (FLUM) recently released by the DC Office of Planning falls dramatically short of what the moment requires. Whether we lock in another generation of scarcity or finally legalize the homes our neighbors need depends on who is at the table when that plan is proposed to the Council.
DC YIMBYs is proud to announce our endorsements for the 2026 election cycle. These endorsements were made based on public statements and responses to our questionnaire. Mail-in ballots go out Monday, May 11, and Election Day is Tuesday, June 16.
The single most useful thing you can do today is volunteer for or donate to our top-ranked endorsees. Links are included below. And if you want to hear about upcoming canvassing days and other ways to plug in, sign up for our mailing list.
We endorse the following slate of candidates for mayor in this order:
Janeese Lewis George has made the most serious commitment to a Comprehensive Plan that meets the moment, agreeing to all nine of our Comp Plan priorities and repeatedly affirming support for legalizing sixplexes and ending parking requirements citywide. She has publicly described her own evolution from supply skeptic to someone who recognizes the housing shortage is driving displacement, and she has concrete plans to streamline permitting through pre-approved templates, shot clocks, and consolidated applications.
Kenyan McDuffie acknowledges the housing shortage and supports several of our priorities, but he hedges those commitments in ways that would meaningfully blunt their impact — endorsing the elimination of parking mandates only "not necessary," and setting a 12,000-home target by 2030 that falls well short of what DC needs.
Gary Goodweather is the only candidate in the race who has actually built housing in DC, and his platform reflects it: simultaneous agency reviews, guaranteed 20-business-day approval for by-right projects, a public permitting dashboard, and full alignment with all nine of our Comp Plan priorities.
