CIVPAC Endorsement: Kenyan McDuffie in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington, D.C.
CIVPAC supports Kenyan McDuffie in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington, D.C.
CIVPAC does not ordinarily involve itself in local races outside its core geographic focus. But Washington, D.C. is not an ordinary local jurisdiction. It is the nation’s capital, a regional economic center, and a city whose governance affects many people who live and work throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
This race also presents a familiar question: should voters choose pragmatic governance or ideological ambition?
D.C. faces serious challenges. Voters in D.C. want more affordable housing, improved public safety, a local government that deserves their confidence, protection of home rule, and a strengthened economy that cannot take federal employment, downtown office demand, or private investment for granted. These problems require practical judgment, not slogans.
Housing is a central example. CIVPAC is not looking for the largest promise or the most dramatic plan. The question is whether a candidate’s approach is likely to increase housing supply and improve affordability in the real world.
McDuffie’s housing agenda appears more consistent with that standard. His approach emphasizes increasing supply, preserving existing affordable housing, improving construction capacity, and working with private and nonprofit builders. CIVPAC’s support for McDuffie is not an endorsement of every element of his housing agenda. We are skeptical of down-payment subsidies in supply-constrained housing markets because they can raise demand rather than supply and make homes more expensive for unsubsidized buyers. The stronger case for McDuffie is his greater emphasis on permitting reform, construction capacity, housing preservation, and working with private and nonprofit builders to expand supply.
That approach fits CIVPAC’s general view of public policy. Markets are not perfect and neither is government regulation. Government can play a role by providing appropriate incentives and removing counterproductive regulatory disincentives. Policy should work with incentives rather than pretend they do not exist. A housing policy that ignores supply constraints will not solve an affordability problem. It will often make the problem worse.
This race also comes at a time when D.C.’s home rule faces renewed pressure from President Trump and his allies. CIVPAC strongly rejects threats of federal overreach against local self-government. But opposition to Trump should not become a substitute for judgment. A reflexive anti-Trump posture can be just as dangerous as reflexive support for him if it leads voters to excuse weak policy, fiscal irresponsibility, or ideological overreach. The answer to federal overreach is not local overreach. It is steady, serious self-government.
CIVPAC is also encouraged that D.C. is using ranked-choice voting in this primary. Ranked-choice voting is not a cure-all, but it can reduce the pressure to vote strategically, allow voters to express more nuanced preferences, and reward candidates who can appeal beyond a narrow faction. In a city facing real fiscal, economic, and governance challenges, that is a constructive reform.
CIVPAC supports McDuffie because he offers the stronger case for pragmatic, market-compatible, institutionally serious governance. D.C. needs a mayor who can expand housing without ignoring economics, improve public safety without slogans, protect home rule without theatrics, and rebuild the city’s economic base without driving away the private investment needed to sustain it.
We welcome your feedback on this endorsement. Please include the candidate or race you are commenting on. Send us your thoughts here.