Despite scandal and a looming corruption trial, Trayon White seeks to return to the DC Council

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday’s special election for the Ward 8 seat on the D.C. Council will determine whether the council will turn the page on an awkward and embarrassing chapter or remain locked in an uncomfortable dynamic with a political figure whose popularity has rendered him almost impervious to scandal.

Trayon White, the former Ward 8 representative, is fighting to return to the same legislative body that expelled him five months ago — and may just expel him again if he wins.

White, 41, was arrested by the FBI last August on bribery charges. He won re-election to a third term just a few months later—an indication of a street-level popularity that echoes his political mentor: iconic former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

After an internal investigation, the remaining 12 D.C. Council members voted unanimously to oust White from the council in February. However, White was free to enter the special election because he has not been convicted of a felony. His federal trial won’t start until 2026; preliminary evidence includes videos of White pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor, allegedly in return for securing lucrative city contracts.

White faces a trio of challengers: Mike Austin, Sheila Bunn and Salim Adofo. All three boast experience either working as staffers for D.C. Council members or in the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions — hyper-local bodies that frequently serve as training grounds for future council members. Adofo lost to White in the 2024 Democratic primary, securing 28% of the vote.

All three challengers have pointed to White’s legal troubles and emphasized a need to restore credibility and public trust to the Ward 8 council seat. White has done minimal public campaigning or fundraising, skipped multiple candidate debates and left early from a debate.

White came up in local politics as a protege of Barry. And he has been channeling his mentor’s defiant, populist playbook since his arrest. White refused to cooperate with the internal D.C. Council inquiry. His lawyer, Frederick D. Cooke Jr., also served as Barry’s defense attorney. And White has sought to stoke lingering suspicion of the FBI among Black Washingtonians, many of whom believe Barry was unfairly targeted by the 1990 FBI sting that caught him on camera smoking crack cocaine.

A White victory would place the D.C. Council in an immediate quandary. They could expel White again, despite the will of the Ward 8 voters, or they could simply carry on with him among their ranks again and wait for the federal corruption trial to begin early next year.