ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Aparna Raj claims D.C. Ward 1 Democratic nomination
First-time candidate secures Ward 1 nomination and is set to become the district's youngest council member.
-
Ankita Baidya - Mon, 22, Jun 2026
- 02:27 EDT
- 31
Aparna Raj secured 52 percent of the vote under the district's ranked-choice voting system. / X/@aparnafordc
Aparna Raj, the daughter of Indian immigrants and a first-time candidate for office, has won the Democratic primary for Washington D.C.'s Ward 1 council seat, positioning her to become the ward's first new representative in more than three decades.
Thank you, Ward 1.
— Aparna Raj (@aparnafordc) June 21, 2026
From the beginning, this campaign has been about building something bigger - to not just improve people's lives, but to give working people more power in a system so stacked against us.
It's an honor to be your Democratic nominee for Councilmember. pic.twitter.com/eV2AcaXxFq
Raj secured 52 percent of the vote in the fourth round of tabulation under the district's ranked-choice voting system. At 32, she is set to become the youngest member of the D.C. Council.
Also Read: Aparna Raj brings housing, labor focus to Washington Council race
Ward 1 includes the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, Shaw, U Street, Park View, Kalorama, Howard University and LeDroit Park.
Raj, a communications manager for a progressive policy advocacy group, began her political career as a tenant organizer. A renter herself, she has frequently argued that local government needs greater representation from renters.
"Right now, there are only two renters on the Council, and so few of them understand the experiences that renters face and the instability that renters face," Raj said in an interview with New Republic earlier this year.
Her campaign focused on affordability, housing and support for working families. Among her key proposals are expanding rent stabilization, moving toward universal free childcare and raising the minimum wage to US$25 an hour.
Raj emerged from a crowded five-candidate field and received backing from numerous labor unions and progressive organizations, including the DC Labor Federation, the Washington Teachers' Union, the Working Families Party, UNITE HERE Local 25, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, UFCW 400, the Communications Workers of America and the Sierra Club DC Chapter.
According to election results, ANC Commissioner Miguel Trindade Deramo finished second, while ANC Commissioner Rashida Brown placed third. Former Bowser administration appointee Jackie Reyes Yanes and nonprofit executive Terry Lynch were eliminated in earlier rounds of counting.
Raj will face candidates from other parties in the November general election. However, with Democrats accounting for about 78 percent of registered voters in Ward 1, she is widely expected to become the ward's next council member when the new term begins in January.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login