| | | Culture · Politics · Poetry | | THE FEEDSACK | | |  | | The District Feed | | Wednesday, November 4 | | Covers roughly 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday, Eastern time. | | Weather Mostly sunny today, with a high near 76. Tonight, mostly cloudy with a low around 62 and a 20 percent chance of showers after 4 a.m. National Weather Service | | Forwarded this email? Sign up for The District Feed. | | | Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat and former Ward 4 Council member, won Tuesday's mayoral election; the Associated Press called the race at 9:56 p.m., according to the Washington Examiner. Unofficial results showed her with about 84 percent of the vote and independent Rhonda Hamilton with about 10 percent, with Robert L. Gross of the D.C. Statehood Green Party also on the ballot. Context She succeeds Mayor Muriel Bowser, who did not seek a fourth term after 12 years in office. Lewis George describes herself as a democratic socialist, and her stated plans include more affordable housing, universal child care, a review of every city agency for savings and fraud, and ending cooperation between the Metropolitan Police Department and federal immigration enforcement. Before the June primary, President Trump threatened to use the Home Rule Act to take over the city if she won; Lewis George told FOX 5 DC she will work with the administration where it helps residents and that the president cannot take away the city's self-government without Congress. The Washington Sun reports she takes office facing a projected budget gap that could approach $800 million. | | | Democrat Robert White, who resigned his at-large Council seat Monday, won the race for D.C.'s delegate to the House, leading with about 87 percent in early unofficial results, and will be sworn in in January. Voters also approved Initiative 86, which bans the production and sale of foie gras in the city, with about 73 percent, while the at-large Council race is not settled: Oye Owolewa led the first count with about 68 percent and Elissa Silverman was second with 21 percent, with ranked-choice rounds still to come. Context White succeeds Eleanor Holmes Norton, who held the seat for 18 terms, and becomes the third delegate in the city's history. The 51st reports that Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Council members Matthew Frumin (Ward 3), Zachary Parker (Ward 5) and Charles Allen (Ward 6) won new terms and that Aparna Raj won the Ward 1 seat; Attorney General Brian Schwalb was also reelected. The Washington Sun reports the foie gras ban is expected to take effect July 1, and The 51st notes it depends on city leaders funding and enforcing it and could face a legal challenge from producers. | | | The D.C. Democratic Party plans to name Jamal Holtz, 28, president of the D.C. Young Democrats, as the interim replacement for Robert White on the Council, WUSA9 reported, citing sources. On Tuesday, At-Large Council member Christina Henderson, who was elected twice as an independent, announced she had filed to rejoin the Democratic Party, a change party leaders say did not take effect in time. Context Under the Home Rule Charter, the Democratic Party, not the Council, picks White's interim replacement, and city law allows only three of the five at-large seats, counting the chair, to be held by one party; Henderson left the party in 2020 because of that limit, and her switch would make her the third at-large Democrat. The party said last week it would enforce its bylaws and the law, calling attempts to get around the rule "an attack on Home Rule itself." Henderson says being forced to register as an independent is the real threat to home rule and that she has supported Democrats throughout her tenure. The Washington Sun reports party leaders describe Holtz as a placeholder who would step down once the party finishes its nomination process, and that it is unclear which side has the stronger legal case. | | The Associated Press and CBS News projected Tuesday night that Democrats will hold majorities in both chambers of Congress starting in January. AP reported that as of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Democrats had flipped seven Senate seats and 16 House seats and Republicans had flipped none; CBS News said about 75 House races were still undecided early Wednesday, and the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi had not been called. Context Democrats needed a net gain of four Senate seats and three House seats; Republicans held 53 Senate seats to 47 for Democrats before the election. According to CBS News, Democrat James Talarico won the Texas Senate seat over Republican Ken Paxton, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, and Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts held his Nebraska seat against independent Dan Osborn. CBS also reported that Republican John Thune will no longer be Senate majority leader in January and that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. | | | President Trump congratulated Democrats in a call with CBS News on election night and said he looks forward to working with them, while also saying he would veto bills he opposes until Democrats agree to make deals. He said the results would have been different if he had been on the ballot and blamed some candidates and voters in his base who stayed home, and CBS News reported he said he will accept the results. Context On Fox News, Trump called the veto "one of the stronger powers that a president has." Senate Republican leader John Thune said Republicans would not stand by and noted that Trump remains in the White House, while Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer celebrated the results, CBS News reported. Some Republicans faulted the president: an unnamed senior Republican strategist blamed Trump in comments to CBS, and Fox News reported that Rep. Thomas Massie and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said he had broken promises. | | Note D.C.'s election-night numbers are unofficial and covered about a third of ballots. The Board of Elections plans to release ranked-choice round results starting Nov. 4, will count mail ballots that arrive by Nov. 13, and expects to certify results around Dec. 2. Hill Rag | | | Civic | Wednesday, 5 p.m. · Online (livestream at youtube.com/DCSBOE) The State Board of Education holds its monthly working session, which the public can watch online but not take part in. | | | Thursday, 10 a.m. · The Executive Building, 1030 15th Street NW, Suite 700 West The city's ethics and open government board hears reports from its open government and ethics directors and takes public comment; the notice says it may be held virtually or in person. | | | | Things to do | Wednesday, 7 p.m. · Politics and Prose at The Wharf, 610 Water St. SW The author discusses her book on how talking with machines shapes people, in conversation with Deborah Tannen. | | | Thursday, 7 p.m. · Politics and Prose at Union Market, 1324 4th Street NE · Free A one-hour open mic hosted by poet María Fernanda, where readers sign up on site and get about three minutes each. | | Follow The Feedsack
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