Muriel Bowser

Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 4th ward as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2015. She is the second female mayor of the District of Columbia after Sharon Pratt. Since taking office in 2015, she has secured three consecutive mayoral victories—the first African‑American woman to do so. Elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 2004, Bowser was elected to the council in a special election in 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. She was elected mayor in 2014 after defeating incumbent Vincent C. Gray in the Democratic primary. Bowser was re-elected in 2018 and in 2022. Bowser declined to run for re-election in 2026.