John,

I want to let you know that I’m all in to become your next Mayor of the District of Columbia.

A third-generation Washingtonian and proud product of DC public schools, my journey to higher office might have taken some interesting turns, but the neighborhood of Stronghold in Northeast DC, where I grew up, was there every step of the way.

When I graduated from high school, I didn’t apply to even a single college because I saw many of my friends, family members and neighbors who weren’t accepted or ultimately didn’t graduate. A teenager in DC during the 90’s, surviving the gun violence that plagued so many of our neighborhoods was [unfortunately a milestone in itself].

But a job then changed the course of my life’s trajectory forever. I was hired by the U.S. Postal Service and carried mail, walking routes and delivering all over the city.

Delivering mail helped me earn a dependable wage and union benefits, including health care. On the job, I walked the routes of so many different neighborhoods in NW, NE, SE and SW. I spoke to neighbors from all walks of life and realized that I wanted to deliver for DC in a different way.

So, I saved what I could for college, graduated from Howard University in the top 5% of my class. I went to law school, clerked for a judge and became a lawyer. As a prosecutor, I fought to hold criminals accountable and get justice for victims. I fought to protect civil rights in President Obama’s Justice Department.

Still, I knew there was more I could do to serve the community that had raised me and lifted me up to help me become the person I am today. I got involved in my neighborhood and became the president of its civic association. I made the ultimate sacrifice and resigned from my dream job to run for and become elected to the DC Council.

For over 13 years on the DC Council, I fought and delivered results for Stronghold and neighborhoods across the city. I fought to deliver more affordable housing, protect tenants from discrimination and helped first-time homebuyers like my grandparents, who purchased the house where I live with my wife today and raise my two daughters. I worked to improve public safety through a holistic approach that includes neighborhood engagement, coordination with public health professionals and juvenile justice reform. I passed legislation to help new parents save for their child’s future, including with “Baby Bonds.”

I’ve been called to fight and deliver for DC all my life, and to this day that fight continues. I’m Kenyan McDuffie and I am running to become your next Mayor because now, more than ever, we need a Mayor who can take on the existential fight we find ourselves in and do more than offer campaign slogans or empty promises; you deserve a Mayor who will make tomorrow, and every day after, better than yesterday.

It’s been my life’s passion and my privilege to serve DC and I am excited to build on our progress. As Mayor, I’ll fight to knock down barriers that price people out and work to deliver better schools, safer neighborhoods, and greater economic opportunities.

If you believe that the best days of Washington, DC are ahead of us, when we fight for it, then join our campaign to move DC forward as a founding donor today. Even better, DC resident donations will be matched 5x so chip in now to make the biggest impact!

Thank you,
Kenyan McDuffie