Mayor Muriel Bowser overcame a slew of speed bumps Tuesday to win Washington, D.C.’s 2018 Democratic primary as voters showed up in underwhelming numbers.
Bowser garnered 82 percent of the vote and beat back challenges from D.C. activist James Butler and former city council candidate Ernest Johnson to win the primary. Her chances of winning increased after former mayor and current council member Vincent Gray opted out of a rematch with Bowser, who defeated him in 2014.
Bowser won despite being the subject of or a participant in a slew of scandals. One such incident involved former D.C. Public School chancellor Kaya Henderson, who was reprimanded in 2017 for favoritism when she reportedly bypassed the city’s school lottery to help a top Bowser cabinet member place his children in plush schools.
Henderson said that D.C. officials “do not necessarily get paid as much as we should” when asked why she helped. Young makes $295,000 a year. One other parent of the seven whom Henderson helped also served Bowser.(RELATED: D.C. Is Literally Bribing Kids To Go To School)
Other stumbles include questionable deaths and allegations of mismanagement at the city’s public hospital, which is run by a company started by a wealthy Bowser campaign donors. (RELATED: Former DC Schools Chancellor And Racial Justice Scholar’s Corruption Goes Unpunished)
Winning the Democratic primary in D.C.’s overwhelming liberal district is tantamount to victory in the general election, as the Republican Party did not field a mayoral candidate. Bowser will likely win unless an independent challenger emerges in time for the November contest.
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