Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won't seek re-election to a fourth term, she told NBC Washington in an interview that aired Tuesday.
She called the decision "the hardest thing I've had to do" and said she believes she has "accomplished the things I set out to do" as mayor.
"It's time for me to pass the baton on to the next set of leaders who are going to take our city to the next level," she said.
“I’ve learned how to be really good at my job and to be a good mayor. I know that there are a lot of people with ideas that can move this city forward. And, for me and for my family, now’s the time for me to do something else while I have a lot of energy and vigor and great ideas.”
Bowser addressed the decision on X, where she said that serving as mayor was the "honor of my life" and that she was proud of her "legacy of success." She added that she hasn't decided what she'd do next, but when she was asked whether she thought she would have won a fourth term, she noted that she ha never lost an election.
Bowser's recent months have been centered on a delicate dance with President Donald Trump over the federal law enforcement presence in the city and the slew of federal job cuts that have had a unique impact on the region, as well as negotiating a delicate deal to bring the Washington Commanders NFL franchise's home field back into the district.
Asked about Bowser's announcement Tuesday, Trump had kind words for the Democratic mayor.
“Well, I got along with her very well. I liked her, we worked together,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. "D.C. is now a safe community."
Bowser’s public relationship with Trump was far different during his first term, when she designated a two-block stretch outside the White House as Black Lives Matter Plaza, complete with a ground mural, a move that drew the ire of Republicans. This year, after a push from a Republican congressman to jeopardize city funding over the plaza, Bowser’s office removed it, and she said in a statement that the city’s top concern needs to be the “devastating impacts of the federal jobs cuts.”
She has also tried to walk a careful line in cooperating with the Trump administration in its decision to surge federal troops to the city in the name of fighting violent crime and enforcing immigration laws, all while staving off repeated GOP threats to repeal the city’s home rule — a balancing act that has earned her both praise and criticism.
"We started this year with a new president who was an avowed critic of the district, and we had to reset that relationship. We started with a president that clearly had a plan to move fast, and one of his targets was the district. And we also have a Congress that has pretty much given him carte blanche to do it,” she said.
She added: "Starting with the most recent elections, where we had just really a good turnout and great wins for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia and New York City, the next 10 months are going to be different than the last 10 months. So we see more of a check, more of a willingness to disagree with the president. So I think that bodes well for how the district and the president and the Congress will work together as we approach the midterms.”
Born and raised in the Northeast quadrant of the city, Bowser has spent two decades in city politics, starting out as a member of her neighborhood's local commission before leaping to the City Council and then winning her first term as mayor in 2014.
Her decision not to run again could lead to a crowded primary in a deep-blue city, with the added wrinkle that voters approved ranked-choice voting during last year's election over protest from city Democrats.
Bowser has also been focused in recent years on shepherding the city out of the pandemic, which dealt myriad blows to the city's economy and hollowed out many downtown businesses as more and more residents worked from home. In her final year, Bowser said, she'll focus on growing the city's economy.
“I've spent a good part of this year talking about our growth agenda. We have to respond to the shifts in the federal workforce and the changes in the federal government, and I believe firmly that the way to do that is to grow,” she said.
