WPDC Statement on Primary Wins for Progressives & Public Power Champions

It’s safe to say that progressives swept DC’s local primary elections in June. Not only did DSA-endorsed Janeese Lewis George win her mayoral primary with the most primary votes in decades, but down ballot candidates beat out crowded fields to secure their nominations. This included DSA-endorsed Aparna Raj (Ward 1), DSA-aligned Oye Owolewa (At-Large), and progressive Elissa Silverman (At-Large), while utility reform stalwarts like Charles Allen of Ward 6 handily won his primary.

With an incoming progressive mayor and DC Council, some things are certain: major utility reform and ratepayer protections are coming. Already, councilmembers are targeting ways to decrease solar installation costs and reform utility rates to give much needed relief to residents. In addition, Janeese Lewis George’s utility platform is people-focused, which includes goals to right-size Pepco and Washington Gas’s profits and invest in city-owned solar. Complimenting these ambitions, Raj and Owolewa have both called for aggressive reform, including laying the groundwork for municipalization.

In 2026, a main goal of We Power DC was to help elect public power champions. Throughout the primary season, We Power organized canvasses, hosted candidate events, and elevated public power as a campaign issue, and that effort paid off. Raj and Owolewa both signed We Power’s Public Power Pledge and Lewis George called for exploring a public power option during a mayoral debate. Now, the next stage of work begins. We Power is pulling together a list of recommendations for the new Council and Mayor that will help increase clean energy generation, reduce Pepco’s chokehold on the city, and move us toward a fully publicly owned city utility.