Doni Crawford for At-Large Member of the DC Council (Special Edition)

Doni Crawford is the At-Large Councilmember for the District of Columbia, unanimously appointed in January 2026, and is now running to keep her seat. She came to the District with a simple belief: that government, done right, can help people build better lives.

She brings more than a decade of experience in public policy, economic development, and racial equity, including serving as Committee Director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development, where she advanced legislation to strengthen small businesses and commercial corridors, and played a pivotal role in negotiating the Commanders stadium redevelopment deal with robust community benefits and local hiring requirements. As a Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor, she spearheaded landmark legislation addressing racial and economic disparities.

Prior to her Council role, Doni was a respected policy advocate whose research on the racial disparities Black people and Black businesses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic garnered national recognition in Time Magazine, CNN, and The Washington Post. She partnered with the Excluded Workers Coalition to secure $41 million in pandemic relief and contributed her expertise to the Fair Budget Coalition, identifying budget opportunities to advance affordable housing and public housing repairs.

Elissa Silverman for At-Large Member of the DC Council (Special Edition)

Elissa is running in the at-large special election to continue her work to make Washington, D.C., a community where people can afford to raise a family, open successful businesses, start careers, and retire in dignity.

When she served on the D.C. Council from 2015 to 2023, she was the lead champion for D.C.’s paid family leave program, which has benefitted tens of thousands of workers. She was an ally to local business owners, helping reduce red tape and appropriating millions in aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. And she has always been a committed fighter to keep the D.C. government responsive and accountable to taxpayers.

She began her career as a journalist, authoring the Washington City Paper’s “Loose Lips” political column, and then later worked as a reporter for the Washington Post. Elissa then transitioned out of reporting into public policy. At the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, she analyzed the city’s budget and led advocacy campaigns.

Elissa is a Ward 6 resident and owns a home in Capitol Hill near H Street NE. She currently serves as a board member of Seabury Resources for Aging, which provides D.C. seniors and their families housing and other supportive resources.