United States House of Representatives elections in the District of Columbia
The District of Columbia is a political division coterminous with Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States.[ 1] According to the Article One of the Constitution , only states may be represented in the United States Congress .[ 2] The District of Columbia is not a U.S. state and therefore has no voting representation .[ 3]
In 1871, Congress reorganized the District of Columbia into a single territorial government that was partially elected. It also permitted the district to elect a delegate to the House of Representatives , a type of non-voting member . Norton P. Chipman served two terms as the district's delegate until Congress abolished the territorial government in 1874. The city went nearly 100 years without any representation in Congress.[ 4] With the enactment of the District of Columbia Delegate Act in 1970, its at-large congressional district was established. Constituents are again authorized to elect a delegate House.[ 5] The district has held 29 delegate elections in total.[needs update ]
In 2009, the Senate passed the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, which would allow the district to elect a voting member to the House. However, an amendment added by John Ensign would repeal most of the district's gun laws and prohibit it from restricting gun rights any further. This took place eight months after the Supreme Court 's ruling on District of Columbia v. Heller , which declared a D.C. gun law unconstitutional.[ 6] The Democratic leaders in the House admitted that they could not support the bill if it included the Ensign amendment,[ 7] and the never voted on it.[ 8]
The majority of residents want the district to become a state and gain full voting representation in Congress.[ 9] To prepare for this goal, the district has elected shadow representatives since 1990. The shadow representative emulates the role of representing the district in the House and pushes for statehood alongside the delegate and shadow senators.[ 10] The district has held 17 shadow representative elections.[needs update ]
The Democratic Party has immense political strength in the district ; in each of the delegate and shadow representative elections (excluding the 1870s elections), the district has overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic candidate, with no margin less than 33 and 56 percentage points, respectively. In two delegate and two shadow representative elections, the Democratic candidate ran unopposed.
Delegate elections
U.S. House delegate elections in the District of Columbia from 1871 to 1872 and 1971 to present
Year
Winner
Runner-up
Other candidate[ a]
Ref.
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
1871
Norton P. Chipman (R)
15,196
57.78%
Richard T. Merrick (D)
11,104
42.22%
—
—
—
[ 4] [ 11]
1872
Norton P. Chipman (R)
12,443
63.86%
L. G. Hine (D)
7,042
36.14%
—
—
—
[ 4]
1971
Walter Fauntroy (D)
68,166
58.44%
John A. Nevius (R)
29,249
25.08%
Julius Hobson (ST)
15,427
13.23%
[ 12]
1972
Walter Fauntroy (D)
95,300
60.64%
William Chin-Lee (R)
39,487
25.12%
Charles I. Cassell (ST)
18,730
11.92%
[ 13]
1974
Walter Fauntroy (D)
66,337
63.78%
James G. Banks (I)
21,874
21.03%
William R. Phillips (R)
9,166
8.81%
[ 14]
1976
Walter Fauntroy (D)
12,149
77.18%
Daniel L. Hall (R)
1,076
6.84%
Louis S. Aronica (ST)
545
0.32%
[ 15]
1978
Walter Fauntroy (D)
76,557
79.59%
Jackson R. Champion (R)
11,677
12.02%
Gregory Rowe (ST)
3,886
4.04%
[ 16]
1980
Walter Fauntroy (D)
111,631
74.44%
Robert J. Roehr (R)
21,021
14.02%
Josephine D. Butler (ST)
14,325
9.55%
[ 17]
1982
Walter Fauntroy (D)
93,422
83.01%
John West (R)
27,590
15.32%
—
—
—
[ 18]
1984
Walter Fauntroy (D)
154,583
95.56%
—
—
—
—
—
—
[ 19]
1986
Walter Fauntroy (D)
101,604
80.09%
Mary L. H. King (R)
17,643
13.91%
Julie McCall (ST)
6,122
4.83%
[ 20]
1988
Walter Fauntroy (D)
121,817
71.27%
Ron Evans (R)
22,936
13.42%
Alvin C. Frost (ST)
13,802
8.07%
[ 21]
1990
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
98,442
61.67%
Harry M. Singleton (R)
41,999
26.31%
George X. Cure (I)
8,156
5.11%
[ 22]
1992
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
166,808
84.78%
Susan Emerson (R)
20,108
10.22%
Susan Griffin (ST)
7,253
3.69%
[ 23] [ 24]
1994
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
154,988
89.25%
Donald A. Saltz (R)
13,828
7.96%
Rasco P. Braswell (ST)
2,824
1.63%
[ 25] [ 26]
1996
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
134,996
90.00%
Sprague Simonds (R)
11,306
7.54%
Faith Dane (I)
2,119
1.41%
[ 27] [ 28]
1998
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
122,228
89.64%
Edward Henry Wolterbeek (R)
8,610
6.31%
Pat Kidd (ST)
2,323
1.70%
[ 29] [ 30]
2000
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
158,824
90.43%
Edward Henry Wolterbeek (R)
10,258
5.84%
Rob Kampia (L)
4,594
2.62%
[ 31] [ 32]
2002
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
119,268
93.01%
Pat Kidd (I)
7,733
6.03%
—
—
—
[ 33] [ 34]
2004
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
202,027
91.33%
Michael Andrew Monroe (R)
18,296
8.27%
—
—
—
[ 35] [ 36]
2006
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
111,726
97.34%
—
—
—
—
—
—
[ 37] [ 38]
2008
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
228,376
92.28%
Maude Hills (STG)
16,693
6.75%
—
—
—
[ 39] [ 40]
2010
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
117,990
88.94%
Missy Reilly Smith (R)
8,109
6.11%
Rick Tingling-Clemmons (STG)
4,413
3.33%
[ 41] [ 42]
2012
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
246,664
88.55%
Bruce Majors (L)
16,524
5.93%
Natale Stracuzzi (STG)
13,243
4.75%
[ 43] [ 44]
2014
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
143,923
83.73%
Nelson Rimensnyder (R)
11,673
6.79%
Tim Krepp (I)
9,101
5.29%
[ 45]
2016
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
265,178
88.13%
Martin Moulton (L)
18,713
6.22%
Natale Stracuzzi (STG)
14,336
4.76%
[ 46]
2018
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
199,124
87.04%
Nelson Rimensnyder (R)
9,700
4.24%
Natale Stracuzzi (STG)
8,636
3.77%
[ 47]
2020
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
281,831
86.30%
Patrick Hynes (L)
9,678
2.96%
Barbara Washington Franklin (I)
7,628
2.34%
[ 48]
2022
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
174,238
86.54%
Nelson Rimensnyder (R)
11,701
5.81%
Natale Stracuzzi (STG)
9,867
4.90%
[ 49]
Graph
The following graph shows the margin of victory of the Democratic Party over the runner-up in the 29[needs update ] U.S. House delegate elections the District of Columbia has held, excluding the two during the 1870s.
Shadow representative elections
U.S. House shadow representative elections in the District of Columbia from 1990 to present
Year
Winner
Runner-up
Other candidate[ a]
Ref.
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
1990
Charles J. Moreland (D)
92,764
73.53%
Howard Lamar Jones (R)
17,867
14.16%
Tom Chorlton (ST)
15,535
12.31%
[ 50]
1992
Charles J. Moreland (D)
135,592
69.96%
Paul McAllister (ST)
25,399
13.10%
Gloria R. Corn (R)
25,035
12.92%
[ 23]
1994
John Capozzi (D)
104,532
68.65%
Edward D. Turpin (R)
18,756
12.32%
Paul McAllister (ST)
14,147
9.29%
[ 25]
1996
Sabrina Sojourner (D)
111,413
83.37%
Gloria R. Corn (R)
20,240
15.15%
—
—
—
[ 27]
1998
Tom Bryant Jr. (D)
86,546
76.75%
David VanWilliams (ST)
14,637
12.98%
Mike Livingston (G)
9,479
8.41%
[ 29]
2000
Ray Browne (D)
120,700
74.53%
Martin Thomas (STG)
20,960
12.94%
John Shumake (R)
15,382
9.50%
[ 31]
2002
Ray Browne (D)
95,159
84.71%
Adam Eidinger (STG)
15,611
13.90%
—
—
—
[ 33]
2004
Ray Browne (D)
168,693
86.30%
Adam Eidinger (STG)
25,077
12.83%
—
—
—
[ 35]
2006
Mike Panetta (D)
82,759
77.47%
Keith R. Ware (STG)
13,511
12.65%
Nelson Rimensnyder (R)
9,700
9.08%
[ 37]
2008
Mike Panetta (D)
187,362
85.87%
Joyce Robinson-Paul (STG)
28,703
13.16%
—
—
—
[ 39]
2010
Mike Panetta (D)
101,207
82.35%
Nelson Rimensnyder (R)
11,094
9.03%
Joyce Robinson-Paul (STG)
9,489
7.72%
[ 41]
2012
Nate Bennett-Fleming (D)
206,996
85.78%
G. Lee Aikin (STG)
31,190
12.93%
—
—
—
[ 43]
2014
Franklin Garcia (D)
114,073
77.61%
Joyce Robinson-Paul (STG)
19,982
13.59%
Martin Moulton (L)
11,002
7.48%
[ 45]
2016
Franklin Garcia (D)
252,992
97.33%
—
—
—
—
—
—
[ 46]
2018
Franklin Garcia (D)
197,299
96.94%
—
—
—
—
—
—
[ 47]
2020
Oye Owolewa (D)
240,533
81.60%
Joyce Robinson-Paul (STG)
27,128
9.20%
Sohaer Rizvi Syed (I)
22,771
7.72%
[ 48]
2022
Oye Owolewa (D)
151,182
83.63%
Joyce Robinson-Paul (STG)
26,530
14.68%
—
—
—
[ 49]
Graph
The following graph shows the margin of victory of the Democratic Party over the runner-up in the 17[needs update ] U.S. House shadow representative elections the District of Columbia has held.
See also
Notes
^ a b For purposes of these lists, other candidates are defined as those who were in third place. Write-in totals are not represented.
References
^ Grogg, Robert (2013). "Introduction: Where Oh Where Should the Capital Be?" . White House Historical Association . Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2021 .
^ "Organization of the House of Representatives" . Constitution Annotated . Library of Congress . Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2021 .
^ Ellis, Jessica (December 9, 2022). "Does Washington DC Have a Governor, Senators and Representatives?" . United States Now. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b c Gibbs, C. R. (March 2, 1989). "The District Had a Voice, If Not a Vote, in the 42nd Congress" . The Washington Post . p. DC3. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via ProQuest .
^ "Delegate Walter Fauntroy of the District of Columbia" . History, Art, & Archives . United States House of Representatives . Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Urbina, Ian (February 27, 2009). "Senators Tie Gun Issue to Capital-Vote Bill" . The New York Times . Retrieved January 7, 2023 .
^ Miller, S. A. (June 10, 2009). "Gun Provision Foils D.C. Voting Rights Bill" . The Washington Times . Retrieved January 7, 2023 .
^ "S.160 - District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009" . United States Congress . March 2, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2023 .
^ Davis, Aaron C. (November 8, 2016). "District Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Referendum to Make D.C. the 51st State" . The Washington Post . Retrieved December 24, 2022 .
^ "What does DC's 'Shadow Delegation' to Congress Actually Do?" . WUSA9 . November 2, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ "The Washington Election" . The Baltimore Sun . April 20, 1871. p. 1. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via ProQuest .
^ "DC Delegate Race - Mar 23, 1971" . OurCampaigns . September 16, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Guthrie, Benjamin J.; Jennings, W. Pat (March 15, 1973). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 50. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Guthrie, Benjamin J.; Jennings, W. Pat (August 1, 1975). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1974 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 41. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Guthrie, Benjamin J.; Henshaw, Edmund L., Jr. (April 15, 1977). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 54. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Guthrie, Benjamin J.; Henshaw, Edmund L., Jr. (April 1, 1979). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1978 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 40. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Ladd, Thomas E.; Henshaw, Edmund L., Jr. (April 15, 1981). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1980 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 70. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Ladd, Thomas E.; Guthrie, Benjamin J. (May 5, 1983). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1982 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 47. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Ladd, Thomas E.; Guthrie, Benjamin J. (May 1, 1985). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1984 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 66. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Dendy, Dallas L., Jr.; Anderson, Donald K. (May 29, 1987). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1986 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 43. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Dendy, Dallas L., Jr.; Anderson, Donald K. (April 20, 1989). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 55. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Dendy, Dallas L., Jr.; Anderson, Donald K. (April 29, 1991). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1990 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 45. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ a b "District of Columbia General Election - Final and Complete Election Results" (PDF) . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 13, 1992. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Dendy, Dallas L., Jr.; Anderson, Donald K. (May 31, 1993). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 80. Retrieved December 26, 2022 . {{cite report }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ a b "November 8 General Election" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 18, 1994. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Carle, Robin H. (May 12, 1995). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1994 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 45. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "November 15 General Election" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 15, 1996. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Carle, Robin H. (June 21, 2001). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1998 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 76. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "November 13 General Election" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 13, 1998. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Trandahl, Jeff (January 3, 1999). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1998 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 48. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "November 7 General Election" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 17, 2000. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Trandahl, Jeff (June 21, 2001). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 2000 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 71-72. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "Certification Summary - Candidate" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 21, 2002. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Trandahl, Jeff (May 1, 2003). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2002 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 50. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "Certified Summary Results" (PDF) . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 18, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Trandahl, Jeff (June 7, 2005). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2004 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 59. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "Certified Official Results Report" (PDF) . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 21, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Miller, Lorraine C. (September 21, 2007). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 2006 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 49. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "Certified Election Results" (PDF) . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 24, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Miller, Lorraine C. (July 10, 2009). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 69. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2010 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 19, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Haas, Karen L. (June 3, 2011). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2010 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 56. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2012 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . April 14, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ Haas, Karen L. (February 28, 2013). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 2012 (PDF) (Report). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 68. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2014 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2016 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . June 18, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2018 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2020 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ a b "General Election 2022 - Certified Results" . District of Columbia Board of Elections . November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
^ "DC Shadow Representative Race - Nov 06, 1990" . OurCampaigns . August 17, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
Elections spanning two years (through 1879) Elections held in a single year (starting 1880)
Regulars and even-year specials Odd-year specials
Elections by state Seat ratings Speaker elections Summaries