Sources & Citations Mayoral Primary · June 16, 2026

Where the data comes from

Every candidate position in the tool, traced to its source.
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This page documents the source behind every candidate position in the DC Mayor 2026 matching tool. For each of the twelve questions, it shows where each candidate landed and the questionnaire, forum, or public record that position came from. Tap any source tag to open the original.

Positions are drawn from candidates' own words: their written responses to local advocacy questionnaires, their campaign platforms, public forums, and DC Council voting records. Where a candidate has not taken a public position on a question, the tool says Not Stated rather than guessing.

The Sources
GGW Greater Greater Washington

Questionnaire + endorsement (endorsed Lewis George). Urbanist/housing-focused.

FDC Free DC

Questionnaire + endorsement (endorsed Lewis George). Responses from Lewis George, McDuffie, and Goodweather.

DC4D DC for Democracy

Questionnaire + Council scorecard + endorsement (endorsed Lewis George).

GLAA Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance

Policy questionnaire + ratings. Responses from Lewis George, Sampath, and Johnson.

CSD Capital Stonewall Democrats

Candidate questionnaires hosted here (OutVote). Johnson's GLAA response was posted in lieu of theirs.

C100 Committee of 100 on the Federal City

Planning/zoning questionnaire. Responses from Orange, Johnson, Goodweather, McDuffie, and Sampath.

OppDC Opportunity DC

2026 voter guide + endorsement (endorsed McDuffie). Business/growth-focused.

JUFJ JUFJ Campaign Fund

Endorsement (endorsed Lewis George).

W1D Ward 1 Democrats

Ward 1 Democrats voter-guide questionnaire. Responses from Lewis George, Goodweather, and Orange.

WTU Washington Teachers' Union (COPE)

COPE candidate questionnaire + endorsement (endorsed Lewis George). Education-focused; responses from Lewis George and Goodweather.

BiDC Barred in DC

Nightlife and hospitality questionnaire (May 2026). Responses from all ballot candidates except Johnson; touches MPD-ICE cooperation and the tipped minimum wage.

51st The 51st

Voter guide and candidate summaries.

Forum April Mayoral Forum (video)

April 2026 forum co-hosted by The 51st, The Washington Informer, and SpotlightDC. Six candidates appeared.

LIMS DC Council records (LIMS)

Council legislation and voting records (Lewis George, McDuffie).

RiniRFK Sampath campaign — RFK policy post

Sampath's published RFK Stadium accountability policy.

JLGSite Lewis George campaign site

Candidate's published platform ('Stand Up For All DC', People-First Platform).

McDuffieSite McDuffie campaign site

Candidate's published platform ('growth with guardrails').

GoodweatherSite Goodweather campaign site

Candidate's published platform and press releases.

RiniSite Sampath campaign site

Candidate's published platform ('Fix the Basics').

OrangeSite Orange campaign site

Candidate's published platform ('The Orange Plan').

JohnsonSite Johnson campaign site

Candidate's published platform (education, revenue, public safety).

SolomonSite Solomon campaign site

Candidate's published platform ('Fix the basics').

Positions by Question
Q1 / Federal Relationship

DC's mayor should publicly resist Trump administration interventions in DC affairs and back Attorney General litigation against the federal government, even when it risks federal retaliation.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
Her platform and Ward 1 questionnaire commit to rescinding the MPD-ICE cooperation order; she introduced Council legislation curtailing MPD cooperation with ICE, helped pass the Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting Act, and would work with the Attorney General to defend Home Rule. W1D JLGSite FDC GLAA
Kenyan McDuffie
Support
Runs on protecting Home Rule and countering Trump-administration threats, framed through his 'growth with guardrails' pitch — firm but more pragmatic than the progressive lane. McDuffieSite FDC 51st
Gary Goodweather
Support
Called the federal troop deployment predictable and avoidable and, in his Ward 1 questionnaire, pledged to stand between federal overreach and immigrant families; positions himself to confront federal overreach. W1D GoodweatherSite FDC
Rini Sampath
Strongly Support
On the GLAA questionnaire she commits to publicly resisting federal interference and defending DC's autonomy. GLAA RiniSite
Vincent Orange
Mixed
At the forum he framed his approach as not negotiating in fear but not fearing to negotiate, holding Home Rule, autonomy, and statehood nonnegotiable — a pragmatist's posture. Forum OrangeSite
Ernest E. Johnson
Strongly Support
On the GLAA questionnaire he commits to using every tool to defend Home Rule against federal intervention. GLAA CSD
Hope Solomon
Mixed
At the forum she framed her approach as negotiating with the administration and getting DC's 'house in order' — anti-Trump in tone but indirect, not an AG-litigation strategy. Forum 51st
Q2 / Federal Relationship

DC should pass and enforce strict limits on cooperation between MPD and federal immigration authorities, including prohibiting MPD from supporting ICE operations except where a warrant requires it.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
Pledges to rescind the MPD-ICE cooperation order and limit information-sharing and transfers to ICE; aligned with the legislative limits on cooperation. JLGSite GLAA FDC
Kenyan McDuffie
Strongly Support
On the Barred in DC questionnaire he commits to issuing a Day One directive ending MPD cooperation with ICE to protect immigrant workers; also backs limits on MPD-federal immigration cooperation more broadly. BiDC FDC McDuffieSite
Gary Goodweather
Support
Supports limits on MPD cooperation with federal immigration enforcement via the Free DC questionnaire. FDC
Rini Sampath
Strongly Support
GLAA: would direct MPD not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and supports the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act. GLAA
Vincent Orange
Oppose
His emphasis is rebuilding MPD to self-sufficiency ('nobody is going to take care of us but us') rather than endorsing strict limits on federal cooperation. Forum
Ernest E. Johnson
Strongly Support
GLAA: would direct DC agencies to stop sharing data with ICE and supports the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act. GLAA CSD
Hope Solomon
Oppose
A 17-year national-security and FBI veteran, she described cross-jurisdictional law-enforcement cooperation as something that has to happen and emphasized building up MPD. Forum
Q3 / Federal Relationship

DC's mayor should treat the ongoing federal law enforcement and National Guard presence as an occupation to be ended, not a partnership to be managed.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
Casts the federal law-enforcement presence as something to resist and end rather than manage, and commits to using every tool to push back. JLGSite FDC
Kenyan McDuffie
Mixed
Treats the federal relationship as something to manage and push back on selectively rather than framing it as an occupation to be ended. FDC 51st
Gary Goodweather
Support
Criticized the militarization of routine public safety and the National Guard presence as heightening risk for residents. GoodweatherSite FDC
Rini Sampath
Strongly Support
GLAA: opposes the use of federal forces and National Guard deployments against DC residents. GLAA
Vincent Orange
Oppose
Negotiate-but-don't-fear framing; does not treat the federal presence as an occupation to be ended. Forum
Ernest E. Johnson
Strongly Support
GLAA: would refuse any authoritarian deployment of federal forces against residents. GLAA CSD
Hope Solomon
Oppose
Negotiate-pragmatist posture; does not frame the federal presence as an occupation to be ended. Forum
Q4 / Public Safety

DC should prioritize investments in violence interruption, mental health crisis response, and youth programming over expanding the size of MPD beyond current staffing.

Janeese Lewis George
Support
Backs violence-interruption and community-based investment in public safety, consistent with her progressive record on the Council. DC4D GGW LIMS
Kenyan McDuffie
Mixed
Backs both prevention investments and a strong MPD; his record pairs community approaches with police support rather than prioritizing one. GGW McDuffieSite LIMS
Gary Goodweather
Mixed
Pairs prevention and community-service approaches (his 'Capital Corps') with continued investment in law enforcement. GGW GoodweatherSite
Rini Sampath
Mixed
At the forum she put 'no agency off the table' for an audit starting with MPD; mixes accountability with non-police safety investment rather than prioritizing one. Forum GLAA
Vincent Orange
Mixed
Wants to rebuild MPD toward a larger officer count while assigning foot, bike, and community patrols — a both/and approach. Forum OrangeSite
Ernest E. Johnson
Mixed
His platform pairs community-based policing with targeting repeat offenders and violence interruption — a both/and rather than a prevention-first stance. JohnsonSite
Hope Solomon
Oppose
Her forum emphasis was on building up MPD rather than prioritizing prevention investment. Forum
Q5 / Public Safety

DC should authorize the Chief of Police to declare dedicated zones with earlier curfews for groups of young people.

Janeese Lewis George
Oppose
Opposes dedicated youth-curfew zones, favoring root-cause and youth-investment approaches over enforcement. DC4D Forum
Kenyan McDuffie
Support
Supports targeted youth curfews as a public-safety tool. Forum GGW
Gary Goodweather
Strongly Oppose
Strongly opposes dedicated youth-curfew zones. Forum GGW
Rini Sampath
Oppose
Frames curfews as at most a temporary tool tied to a larger systems problem, emphasizing youth investment over enforcement. Forum
Vincent Orange
Support
Supports the curfew while opposing prosecuting teens as adults. Forum
Ernest E. Johnson
Not Stated
No public statement located on dedicated youth-curfew zones. JohnsonSite
Hope Solomon
Support
Stated support for a targeted curfew. Forum
Q6 / Housing

DC should set an aggressive housing production target of approximately 72,000 new homes by 2032, even if reaching it requires significant new taxes or public borrowing to fund.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
The field's strongest housing-supply progressive; backs an aggressive production target and is willing to fund it through progressive revenue. GGW DC4D JLGSite
Kenyan McDuffie
Oppose
Pro-housing-production, but opposes the question's tax-and-borrow funding clause; favors growth-driven financing. GGW C100 McDuffieSite
Gary Goodweather
Oppose
Supports building more affordable housing but opposes the question's new-tax/borrowing funding mechanism. C100 GGW
Rini Sampath
Support
At the forum she embraced a build-more posture — upzoning and single-stair buildings up to eight stories — though less explicit on the funding clause. Forum C100 GLAA
Vincent Orange
Oppose
Opposes by-right upzoning and the new-tax funding model, emphasizing neighborhood character and economic growth without raising taxes. C100 OrangeSite
Ernest E. Johnson
Oppose
Campaigns on 'growing revenue without raising taxes,' which conflicts with the question's tax-and-borrow funding clause. JohnsonSite C100
Hope Solomon
Oppose
Explicitly distanced herself from the 'build, build, build' lane, favoring filling and fixing over an aggressive production target. Forum 51st
Q7 / Housing

DC should reverse the 2025 narrowing of TOPA (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) and restore stronger tenant rights to purchase their buildings.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
Strong tenant-protection record; supports restoring TOPA and reversing the 2025 narrowing, and her Ward 1 questionnaire backs tenant-to-owner pathways and modernizing rent stabilization. W1D GGW DC4D GLAA
Kenyan McDuffie
Oppose
More cautious on tenant-purchase expansion than the progressive lane, consistent with his pro-development posture. GGW DC4D
Gary Goodweather
Oppose
More cautious than the progressive lane on expanding tenant-purchase rights. GGW DC4D
Rini Sampath
Strongly Support
GLAA: would crack down on junk fees and illegal rent increases and strengthen tenant protections. GLAA
Vincent Orange
Oppose
On the Committee of 100 he is skeptical of expanding rent/tenant protections, favoring a housing-supply focus. C100
Ernest E. Johnson
Strongly Support
GLAA: would enforce TOPA, strengthen tenant rights, and close developer loopholes. GLAA JohnsonSite
Hope Solomon
Not Stated
Has not published a position on TOPA or the 2025 narrowing. SolomonSite
Q8 / Housing

DC should allow apartment buildings of three to four stories to be built 'by right' (without case-by-case approval) in residential areas currently zoned only for single-family and low-density housing, particularly near transit and commercial corridors.

Janeese Lewis George
Support
Her Ward 1 Democrats questionnaire directly backs removing outdated zoning restrictions so more homes and more housing types can be built, alongside streamlined permitting and a DC-owned mixed-income housing program. W1D GGW
Kenyan McDuffie
Support
On the Committee of 100 he backs allowing 4-story apartments by-right near transit and corridors, citing Austin; the clearest pro-upzoning answer on the ballot. C100
Gary Goodweather
Mixed
On the Committee of 100 he backs 'gentle density' — fourplexes, duplexes, ADUs — citywide, but rejects one-size-fits-all by-right upzoning. C100
Rini Sampath
Mixed
On the Committee of 100 she supports building on underutilized and vacant land near transit but opposes tearing down family-owned homes for by-right density. C100
Vincent Orange
Oppose
Committee of 100: a flat 'No' — a one-size-fits-all by-right approach is not appropriate for single-family areas. C100
Ernest E. Johnson
Oppose
Committee of 100: opposes 4-story by-right in single-family areas, favoring ADUs and targeted corridor density instead. C100
Hope Solomon
Not Stated
Has not addressed by-right upzoning or single-family zoning reform specifically. SolomonSite
Q9 / Economy & Taxes

DC should raise taxes on high-income households and large or highly profitable corporations to fund expanded social programs, even if some businesses or wealthy residents leave as a result.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Support
Supports raising taxes on high earners and corporations to fund expanded social programs. DC4D GGW GLAA
Kenyan McDuffie
Mixed
'Growth with guardrails' — open to revenue but wary of broad tax increases that could push out business. GGW C100 McDuffieSite
Gary Goodweather
Oppose
His revenue ideas lean toward energy production (a small modular nuclear reactor) rather than broad progressive taxation. C100 GGW GoodweatherSite
Rini Sampath
Support
GLAA: open to new revenue raisers, but sequences them after pursuing efficiencies and recovering existing dollars — a more cautious progressive posture. GLAA C100
Vincent Orange
Strongly Oppose
Runs explicitly on economic growth without raising taxes; strongly opposes new progressive tax increases. C100 OrangeSite Forum
Ernest E. Johnson
Mixed
Wants revenue from high-value tax-exempt properties and commuter tolls but opposes tax increases on working families — a targeted, mixed posture. JohnsonSite GLAA
Hope Solomon
Oppose
Runs against new taxes, favoring auditing agencies and reprioritizing within the existing budget. 51st Forum
Q10 / Economy & Taxes

DC should roll back recent business taxes and regulations — including the 2024 paid family leave payroll tax increase — to attract investment and grow the tax base.

Janeese Lewis George
Strongly Oppose
Opposes rolling back business taxes and the paid-family-leave funding; a consistent backer of worker protections on the Council, and on the Barred in DC questionnaire she backs implementing Initiative 82, the voter-approved tipped-wage phase-in. BiDC DC4D LIMS GGW
Kenyan McDuffie
Support
Supports easing business taxes and regulation to attract investment and grow the tax base, and on the Barred in DC questionnaire opposes eliminating the tipped minimum wage, citing thin restaurant margins and regional competitiveness. BiDC C100 McDuffieSite OppDC
Gary Goodweather
Support
Supports easing business taxes and regulation to grow the local economy, and on the Barred in DC questionnaire opposes eliminating the tipped minimum wage, framing it as an anti-business mandate. BiDC C100 GoodweatherSite
Rini Sampath
Strongly Oppose
A strong defender of paid family leave and worker protections; opposes rolling them back. GLAA RiniSite
Vincent Orange
Support
Supports easing business taxes and regulation to grow the tax base, and on the Barred in DC questionnaire frames wage policy around balancing worker protections with business viability. BiDC C100 OrangeSite
Ernest E. Johnson
Not Stated
No specific position located on rolling back business taxes or the paid-family-leave levy. JohnsonSite
Hope Solomon
Support
Centers small-business pain and wants a government friendlier to business through lighter regulation and permitting. 51st SolomonSite
Q11 / Specific Issues

DC should permit a new commercial sports stadium (e.g., for the Commanders) on the RFK site.

Janeese Lewis George
Oppose
Critical of the RFK/Commanders deal as structured, prioritizing affordability and neighborhood investment over a stadium giveaway. GGW Forum JLGSite
Kenyan McDuffie
Strongly Support
Strong supporter of the RFK/Commanders development; backed by business and real-estate-aligned groups. C100 51st McDuffieSite
Gary Goodweather
Mixed
Criticized the $1.1B RFK deal as a '$1,400 check from every resident' with no taxpayer return, but frames the issue around the deal's terms rather than opposing all stadium development. GoodweatherSite C100 51st
Rini Sampath
Support
Her published RFK policy accepts the stadium as coming and focuses on accountability — milestone tracking, TOPA outreach, transit — rather than opposing it. RiniRFK
Vincent Orange
Strongly Support
Bringing pipeline projects 'to fruition' — including RFK and the Capital Arena — is central to his plan; a strong stadium supporter. C100 OrangeSite 51st
Ernest E. Johnson
Oppose
Opposes the Commanders deal as structured — he would 'tear up' the current terms absent an enforceable community-ownership stake. 51st JohnsonSite C100
Hope Solomon
Not Stated
Has not published a position on RFK Stadium development. SolomonSite
Q12 / Education

DC should preserve the current model of mayoral control of DCPS with equal per-pupil funding for charter schools and DCPS through the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula.

Janeese Lewis George
Mixed
On the WTU questionnaire she says mayoral control vests too much power in one office and backs strengthening the State Board of Education (she introduced a bill to do so) while keeping mayoral leadership — favoring staged modification, not the status quo or outright repeal. Supports charter funding parity only if charters meet the same transparency rules. WTU DC4D
Kenyan McDuffie
Strongly Support
Supports preserving mayoral control and charter-DCPS funding parity. GGW McDuffieSite
Gary Goodweather
Strongly Support
Education and literacy are his signature priority; on the WTU questionnaire he works within mayoral control (committing to a transparent, WTU-involved chancellor search) and backs policy and transparency parity between DCPS and charters. WTU GoodweatherSite GGW
Rini Sampath
Not Stated
Has not stated a position on education governance (mayoral control vs. State Board) or charter funding parity in the forum, GLAA, or Committee of 100 materials. Forum
Vincent Orange
Support
'The Orange Plan' lays out grade-level education milestones and four graduation pathways and works within mayoral control. OrangeSite C100
Ernest E. Johnson
Mixed
Highly prescriptive education plan; directionally supportive of strong mayoral authority but skeptical of charter expansion — a mixed read on the status quo. JohnsonSite
Hope Solomon
Not Stated
Has not stated a position on education governance or charter funding parity. SolomonSite
Last updated: May 26, 2026 · Independent and unaffiliated · Back to the ranking tool
Sources are linked to the originating organization's public page. Some questionnaire responses are hosted on the organizations' own sites; where an organization posts responses as a collection, the link points to that collection.