Robert White
Non-Voting Delegate to Congress — Democratic Primary, June 16, 2026
Not in DC Fair Elections ProgramRobert White (age 44) is a 5th-generation Washingtonian who grew up in the Petworth neighborhood. He graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School, earned degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from St. Mary's College of Maryland, completed additional studies at Oxford University and in The Gambia, West Africa, and earned his law degree from American University Washington College of Law. In 2008, White went to Congress to serve as Legislative Counsel to Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, where he played a lead role in drafting legislation to loosen Congress' grip over DC government and conducted oversight hearings focused on the District. In 2015, he was tapped by Attorney General Karl Racine to serve as the first Director of Community Outreach for the DC Office of the Attorney General, designing a community engagement strategy focused on the city's most vulnerable residents. He is the only Black candidate in the delegate race. First elected to DC Council in 2016 — defeating an incumbent with the highest vote total in DC Council history — he was re-elected in 2020 and 2024 and has chaired the Council's Committee on Housing since 2023. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching voting rights and felony disenfranchisement. If elected Delegate, he says he'd seek a seat on the House Appropriations Committee to maximize DC's funding leverage. He has also proposed removing federal taxes on profits from businesses that relocate to DC as an economic development incentive. He is endorsed by Free DC, the Working Families Party, the AFL-CIO, the Congressional Black PAC, and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Endorsements (25)
Labor unions
- Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
- Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
- AFSCME District Council 20
- Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU Local 689)
- Committee of Interns and Residents (SEIU Healthcare)
- LIUNA Metropolitan Area Laborers' District Council
- International Association of Iron Workers
Elected/Appointed Officials
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Charles Allen (Ward 6, DC Council)
- Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4, DC Council)
- Ben Williams (Ward 1, DC State Board of Education, Vice President)
- Brandon Best (Ward 6, DC State Board of Education)
Advocacy & community organizations
- Free DC
- Working Families Party
- Congressional Black PAC (CBC PAC)
- Collective PAC
- Jews United for Justice
- DC for Democracy
- Greater Greater Washington
- Our Revolution, DC Chapter
- DC Latino Caucus
- Ward One Democrats
- Progressive Caucus PAC
- GWU College Democrats
Individuals & public figures
- Pastor William Lamar IV (Metropolitan AME Church)
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.
Achieving DC statehood should be the top priority for the District's Congressional Delegate.
Big proponent of statehood; says he'd seek a seat on the House Appropriations Committee to leverage DC's funding interests.
MPD should not assist ICE or other federal agencies in immigration enforcement operations within DC.
Opposes MPD cooperation with ICE and supports DC's sanctuary values; answered Yes to opposing Congress increasing police presence in DC.
Defending DC's budget and legislative autonomy from congressional interference should be a top priority for the District's Delegate.
As Norton's legislative counsel he 'played a lead role in drafting legislation to loosen Congress' grip over DC government in favor of greater autonomy and independence.' If elected he says he'd seek a seat on the House Appropriations Committee to maximize DC's funding leverage and protect the District's budget from congressional interference.
The Delegate should fight federal attempts to take over DC's police department or to deploy the National Guard and federal agents in the city.
In his Free DC questionnaire he answered Yes to opposing Congress increasing police presence in DC, consistent with opposing federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and federal deployments in the city.
DC should use all available legal tools — including litigation and public advocacy — to protect federal workers from mass terminations and defend federal agencies from relocation out of the District.
Frames DOGE's federal-workforce cuts as a deliberate attack on 'the Black middle class' that the federal government built — 'not about efficiency' — and says 'we have to take that personally' and 'fight for those jobs to come back in a Democratic administration.' Argues lived experience of losing a paycheck, not just national theory, is what the seat demands.
Sources: [Washington Informer DC Delegate candidate forum (May 2, 2026)]
The Delegate should work to transfer federal land in DC — such as National Park Service parcels and vacant or surplus federal buildings — to local District control.
Would do 'work I did when I used to work for Norton and work to transfer land to DC so we can build affordable housing,' and wants vacant GSA buildings and national park land turned to local use. Notes Anacostia cleanup is slowed because the riverbanks are National Park Service land, and pledges to 'transfer that land back to the district' so DC isn't dependent on slow federal permits.
Sources: [Washington Informer DC Delegate candidate forum (May 2, 2026)]
DC's Delegate should pursue statehood primarily by building bipartisan coalitions and legislative deals in Congress, rather than through confrontation and protest.
The most confrontational, partisan-leverage approach in the field: 'We're not going to make DC a state because it's the right thing to do — that would have happened already.' Would 'tap into the anger around the country' and the fight for Democratic control of Congress, mobilizing residents 'by the thousands into swing states or swing districts or the district of any member who votes against DC's interest.' Builds large Democratic coalitions (CBC, Progressive Caucus) rather than pursuing bipartisan deal-making.
Sources: [Washington Informer DC Delegate candidate forum (May 2, 2026)]
The federal government should make a permanent funding commitment to Metro (WMATA), and the Delegate should fight to secure it.
Says Metro 'has to be protected and fought for' with federal funding because 'DC taxpayers are carrying an unfair freight' for a system the federal government helped build and then abandoned; pledges to 'fight for a lot of federal funding to reduce the burden.'
Sources: [Washington Informer DC Delegate candidate forum (May 2, 2026)]
Federal contracting should give preferences to local, minority-, and women-owned businesses (such as DC's Certified Business Enterprises), rather than awarding contracts solely on lowest cost and open competition.
The strongest voice for contracting preferences: 'If your competitors get a 10-second head start in a 100-yard dash, they win every time.' Argues Black-, brown-, and women-owned firms haven't had equal time to build, so 'we must without question give preference points to CBEs — if we don't, we continue inequity built in deep racism.'
Sources: [Washington Informer DC Delegate candidate forum (May 2, 2026)]
General sources
- Robert White for DC Delegate — Campaign Website — Robert White Campaign. Accessed 2026-05-27.
- Robert White — Free DC Candidate Questionnaire — Free DC Project. Accessed 2026-05-27.