What are your bets for the biggest D.C. stories of 2026? City Cast DC hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd sat down with NBC4’s Mark Segraves to debate which issues will hit Washingtonians the most this year, from regional economic concerns to Trump’s plans for Independence Day. Here are the four issues that are capturing our attention:
⚖️ DC Politics
This is going to be a banner year for local politics. Segraves tells us 2026 will be the “most consequential and crazy election season” since the adoption of Home Rule, and we could see as many as four special elections in this calendar year.
We know that Washingtonians will have a new mayor this year, as Mayor Bowser announced she’s retiring after 12 years in office. Who will replace her? “ Say what you will about Mayor Bowser,” Segraves says. “She has a working relationship with Donald Trump, probably better than any elected Democrat in the country. Let's see who D.C. voters elect to be the next mayor, and how President Trump reacts to that.”
🗳️ Ranked Choice Voting
D.C. Council approved ranked choice voting last year, and the first hurdle for the Board of Elections will be to explain to the public how this voting system works. Segraves says the board’s game plan for this is still unknown.
We’ll see how well this public education campaign will be executed in a few elections this year, including for Ward 1 Councilmember, where three-time incumbent Brianne Nadeau is not seeking reelection. This will be the first time in 44 years that an incumbent won’t be running to serve U Street, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Mt. Pleasant.
Another race to watch is Ward 8, depending on the outcome of Trayon White’s trial in March. If he’s convicted, he will lose his seat, which will prompt a special election.
🇺🇸 America’s 250th Anniversary
Washington, D.C. will be the epicenter of the country’s 250th anniversary, and we know from past events that President Trump is a showman. For people living in D.C., the practicalities of this event will affect them greatly.
Segraves says the Trump administration has been signaling to federal agencies funding the event that they’re going to “wildly increase those budgets.” It should come as no surprise, he says, that Trump wants everything to be “much bigger” this year. The Trump administration is spearheading major construction projects to revitalize the city ahead of the anniversary, including a proposed “Triumphal Arch” and spending $54 million on rehabilitating landmark fountains. Possible upside? Segraves says this event and other spectacles may be good for the local economy.
💸 Local Economy
This will be the last year that Mayor Bowser will propose a budget. “ We've seen Glen Lee, the CFO, and Chairman Mendelson both really being very cautious about projections of what the city's budget is gonna be like,” Segraves says, because of continued volatility in the D.C. economy.
Will the DMV continue to be a place that supports a middle-class, affluent region of 6 million people? That question is top of mind for our hosts, who are curious to see how the second year of the second term of the Trump administration will shape the city’s future.
