Hope Solomon (age 42) was born and raised in Washington, DC and attended DC Public Schools. Her parents' men's formalwear shop has been part of the city since 1977 — where she says she learned "what real work looks like, how to treat people with dignity, and how hard it is to keep a small business alive when the city that depends on you doesn't always make it easy." She spent years working inside the FBI and alongside federal law enforcement agencies, identifying system failures and fixing them — "not spinning them." She lost her federal position in February 2026 amid the Trump administration's DOGE-era workforce reductions and launched her mayoral campaign shortly after, describing it partly as "her official way to bitch" about both the state of the city and federal overreach. Her platform is built around competence over new programs. She frames her candidacy as prioritizing execution over ideology: "I'm not running to invent problems to solve. I'm running to fix the ones we already live with every day — trash, rats, snow removal, public safety, permits, 911 response. Get the basics right first." She only supports adding programs that "actually work, are paid for, and show results," and is explicit about budget limits rather than promising new spending. She ran an all-volunteer campaign with minimal fundraising (approximately $3,500 as of March 2026) and did not qualify for DC's public financing program. She is explicitly positive about ranked-choice voting, saying it "opens the door to real competition, real ideas, and real accountability" so voters can "vote for who you believe in — not against who you fear."
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 raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest residents to close the District's budget gap.
Is explicit about 'budget limits rather than promising new spending' and frames her platform around fixing existing city services rather than expanding programs that require new revenue. Her candidacy is built on the premise that DC should 'get the basics right first' rather than adding new tax-funded programs. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she argued DC should raise revenue by growing the economy — bringing back businesses that 'crossed the river' and filling the ~20% downtown office vacancy — rather than through new taxes.
Sources: [Hope Solomon for Mayor — Campaign Website], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
DC should implement a comprehensive citywide rodent control program — including replacing standard trash containers with rodent-proof bins — to address the District's chronic rat infestation.
Explicitly names rats as one of the core failures she would fix as mayor: 'You know what it's like to watch rats take over parks and sidewalks while City Hall treats it like background noise.' Listed alongside trash, snow removal, and public safety as the broken basics that must be fixed first. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she returned to the theme in her closing — 'when we're fighting rats, why can't the rat holes get filled? No more rats.'
Sources: [Hope Solomon for Mayor — Campaign Website], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
DC should cut taxes and fees on small and local businesses — and offer relief such as the small retailer property tax credit — to help them open, survive, and grow.
Grew up in a family small business and laments that neighborhood restaurants and bars are 'squeezed by crime, high rents, Initiative 82, and a bureaucracy that never seems to say yes,' with 'small business owners buried in paperwork while big developers skip the line' — supportive of easing the burden on small businesses, framed around fees and red tape. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she proposed reforming Business Improvement District boards to be '50/50' between small businesses and developers so small businesses get a real voice and budget control, and urged neighborhoods to start Main Streets.
Sources: [Hope Solomon for Mayor — Campaign Website], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
Hiring significantly more MPD officers is a priority for reducing crime in DC.
At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate Solomon called to 'fully fund the police department,' cut reliance on overtime that burns out officers, and restore neighborhood community policing, citing officer turnover and burnout as a problem for store owners and residents. Supports funding and stabilizing police staffing, with an emphasis on training and community policing rather than a specific hiring target.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
DC should build more protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.
In the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate lightning round Solomon split the question: 'yes to buses — everyone should have access to that,' but said 'we need parking for the business communities to thrive,' opposing reduced parking to make way for bike lanes. Recorded as mixed — supportive of bus service, protective of parking over bike lanes.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 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.
Asked about the District's relationship with Congress at the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate, Solomon emphasized 'personality' — being 'fearless,' drawing on her Hill and national-security experience to negotiate directly with the White House and Congress — and affirmed she supports statehood. She framed the approach around direct negotiation rather than committing to litigation or refusing federal directives, leaving her between confrontation and pragmatic diplomacy. Recorded as mixed.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
DC should expand its automated traffic-enforcement camera program (speed and red-light cameras).
In the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate lightning round, Solomon answered 'no to cameras.'
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]
DC should strengthen worker protections — expanding paid family and medical leave and raising the minimum wage — even if it raises costs for employers.
Solomon, a small-business owner, lists Initiative 82 (which phases out the tipped subminimum wage) among the cost pressures closing neighborhood restaurants and bars, signaling skepticism of wage and labor mandates that raise employer costs. Leans against further expanding such requirements.
General sources
- Mayoral election in Washington, D.C., 2026 — Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org. Accessed 2026-05-27.
- These four candidates are also running for D.C. mayor — The 51st — The 51st. Accessed 2026-05-28.
- Hope Solomon for Mayor — Campaign Website — Hope Solomon Campaign. Accessed 2026-05-28.