D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Will Not Run for a Fourth Term: Report

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will not seek a fourth term when her current term is up in 2026.

In an interview Monday night with The Washington Post, Bowser, 53, said that “we’ve accomplished what we set out to accomplish.” After securing one of her latest wins — a deal to build a new NFL stadium — she said she determined it was time to step aside.

“I think I had to answer the question, if I’m the only one that can do it. And no, I’m not the only one who could do it,” she said.

From WaPo:

Bowser’s decision to step aside, announced publicly Tuesday, opens up what is bound to be a highly competitive mayor’s race at a high-stakes moment for the city, with President Donald Trump in the White House and an aggressive Republican-controlled Congress eager to impose its policy vision on the liberal city.

Bowser declined to say whether she will endorse a candidate to succeed her or what she plans to do when she leaves office in January 2027. “We will have other candidates that will have ideas about how to do it, and D.C. voters will pick the right one,” she said.

Bowser shared the news on X; “It has been the honor of a lifetime to be your mayor,” Bowser said in a post alongside her official announcement letter.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to be your mayor.

My full letter to the community: pic.twitter.com/YqYjTbgAYt

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) November 25, 2025