Dwight Davis
At-Large Council — Regular Election — Democratic Primary, June 16, 2026
Not in DC Fair Elections ProgramDwight Davis (age 51) was born and raised in DC by his grandparents, whom he describes as "old-school Washingtonians." He attended DC public schools from Whittier Elementary through Calvin Coolidge High School, then played basketball at Albright College in Pennsylvania — a passion that took him to Colombia for semi-professional play and later to England. He earned graduate degrees in divinity and education from Princeton Theological Seminary (2004) before returning to DC as a DCPS educator and later elementary and middle school principal (including at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School). After 20+ years in education he moved into nonprofit and philanthropic work. He and his wife Kenya (married 25 years) are raising their four sons in DC, navigating the same public and charter schools as the families he hopes to represent. "Education is my jam," says Davis. "It cuts through all of the other issues. If we have an educated populace, our crime rates drop." He draws a direct analogy between running a school and running the council — balancing the urgent needs of individual classrooms (wards) with citywide equity. As a father of four, affordability is a top priority, particularly workforce housing for teachers, firefighters, nurses, and police. He also has an explicit statehood platform, calling DC self-government "a civil right" and calling Congress's interference in local affairs "unacceptable." He supports building national coalitions to advance statehood, defending budget autonomy, and fighting for full voting representation in Congress.
Positions on the issues
All positions are sourced directly from the candidate's campaign materials, official questionnaire responses, or verified news coverage. Stances are rated on a scale from Strongly opposes (−2) to Strongly supports (+2). A stance of Unknown means no public position has been found.
DC should expand the 'community schools' model, where schools serve as neighborhood hubs providing mental health, family support, and other services beyond education.
Education is his central platform issue — career as DCPS teacher, principal at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, and nonprofit leader. Wants every DC school to have adequate resources regardless of zip code, with strong middle school programming, mental health supports, family partnerships, and career pathways. Advocates a standalone Council education committee for more robust policy conversations, and says DC 'isn't going to be able to legislate its way out of an adaptive problem' — preferring youth dialogue and college/career development over enforcement-only approaches. At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate he called for wrapping programming around students as they move from elementary to middle to high school, and for the Deputy Mayor for Education to better connect high-school career specialties to UDC for skills and certifications.
Sources: [Dwight Davis for DC Council — Campaign Website], [Meet the candidates for an At-Large seat on the DC Council — The 51st], [Youth Engagement, Education Policy — Washington Informer], [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should treat violence as a public health problem, investing heavily in violence interruption programs and community-based solutions.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Davis answered the youth-violence question by emphasizing intervening 'before their actions escalate' — starting with listening to young people to understand the root cause, and ensuring programming follows students from elementary through high school rather than disappearing in the middle-school years. A prevention- and root-cause-focused, community-based approach.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should keep police officers out of public schools and instead invest in counselors, social workers, and mental-health staff.
Reverse-coded question: keeping armed police out of schools aligns with the statement. In the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate lightning round, Davis gave a flat 'no' to returning armed police to all DC public high schools — 'weapons should not be in schools' — a firm, unqualified position.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should respond to Trump administration interference in city governance with an assertive, public stance — filing lawsuits, passing protective legislation, and refusing to comply with unlawful federal directives — rather than quiet diplomacy or pragmatic deal-making.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Davis said DC needs 'a coalition of those who will fight with us' against the administration and must 'make sure our attorney general remains independent' to fight when DC's laws are challenged or overturned, drawing on his Teach Plus policy-fellowship experience advocating to Congress. Supports assertive legal defense and coalition-building, framed around relationships rather than maximal confrontation.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should increase its funding for Metro (WMATA), even if it means cutting other city services.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Davis opposed DC shouldering more Metro funding, saying 'everyone needs to pay their fair share' rather than 'DC taking the whole bill.'
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should impose a commuter tax on people who work in the District but live in Maryland or Virginia (if federal law allowed it).
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Davis supported a commuter fee, arguing DC's rich resources (e.g., free museums) draw commuters and the fee 'would actually generate more income for DC.'
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
When the two conflict, DC should prioritize building more housing quickly — including market-rate — over maximizing deep-affordability requirements on each project.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Davis rejected the either/or framing — 'we need both,' producing more units and repairing existing ones — while emphasizing workforce housing (for teachers, police, firefighters) rather than a pure deep-affordable-versus-market choice. Recorded as mixed.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
General sources
- Dwight Davis for DC Council — Campaign Website — Dwight Davis Campaign. Accessed 2026-05-29.
- Dwight Davis — Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org. Accessed 2026-05-27.
- Meet the candidates for an At-Large seat on the DC Council — The 51st — The 51st. Accessed 2026-05-27.
- Youth Engagement, Education Policy — Washington Informer — Washington Informer. Accessed 2026-05-29.