DC Mayor Bowser Announces She Won't Seek Fourth Term, As Trump's Federal Intervention Continues

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that she will not be seeking re-election.

Bowser announced her decision in a video on social media, calling it an “immense privilege” to have worked alongside district residents.

Bowser has served three terms, none more tumultuous than the last year, when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order that federalized the city’s police force and sent hundreds of National Guard troops there for what the administration called a crime-fighting mission.

Bowser has spent the last year walking a tightrope between staying in Trump’s good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents who said she should have pushed back more on actions taken by the president.

The district is granted autonomy through a limited home rule agreement passed in 1973, but federal political leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C council.

That situation put Bowser in an especially tight spot as Trump launched the intervention into the district.