The Associated Press projects that Robert White, an at-large D.C. Council member, has won the Democratic primary to take over from Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is leaving her role as the city’s nonvoting representative in Congress after more than 30 years in office.
In the race, White, 44, who contested and lost a mayoral election four years earlier, was ahead of his chief rival, Council member Brooke Pinto, despite Pinto raising more than double his campaign funds.
A win in the Democratic primary all but guarantees White will take the seat, given that Democrats overwhelmingly outnumber Republicans in the city.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday at a Southwest Washington restaurant, following a concession call from Pinto, White addressed supporters, declared victory, and promised to continue the legacy of his predecessor and former boss, while vowing to resist federal interference in the city.
“I too will not yield on behalf of the people of Washington, D.C.,” White said, echoing a Norton mantra. “I will not yield for the people who have spent their lives waiting for a turn that never seems to come, because our turn will never come unless we demand it.”
“It is our turn to defend this city, to defend democracy, and to finish the work that they began,” White added.
At the campaign, White highlighted his deep Washington, D.C. roots, describing himself as a fifth-generation Washingtonian in an effort to set himself apart from his rivals.
Pinto, who serves as the council member for Ward 2 covering areas such as Georgetown and downtown, highlighted her record in office, including her role in advancing a crime bill during the city’s surge in violence a few years ago.
In the exchange of criticisms, White described Pinto as the daughter of a wealthy Connecticut family, arguing that her limited ties to Washington and understanding of the city would weaken her effectiveness in Congress. Pinto, however, countered by calling White a lightweight legislator, saying he had done little of note since joining the council in 2016.
Other contenders in the race included Trent Holbrooke, a longtime aide to Norton; Greg Jazsco, a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Kinney Zalesne, a former Democratic National Committee fundraiser and Microsoft communications strategist.
