Inside a Northwest, D.C., barbershop on Wednesday afternoon, city councilmember Robert White told the story of how, as a young boy, he asked the store owner to allow him to sweep floors for tips.
But this time, he stood for a much larger reason – a run for Congress, and the non-voting seat long held by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
White’s campaign event at the Mid-Town Barbershop on Kennedy Street, Northwest, marked the official kickoff to his campaign, which he first announced in .
“I know what it’s like to be the one who wasn’t supposed to make it,” White said. ” I didn’t come up playing on manicured lawns on Mar-a-lago, but sweeping floors at Mid-Town Barbershop, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything because that path taught me the wins and losses of everyday life.”
The D.C. attorney and councilmember spoke about his push for workers’ rights, affordable housing, and more investment for the city’s public safety and education programs. He also spoke about improving D.C.’s autonomy, as city leaders challenge several bills on Capitol Hill regarding public safety.
D.C. has had a turbulent few months under the Trump administration since President Donald Trump entered office for a second term. On Capitol Hill, congressional members slashed $1 billion in city taxpayer dollars in March.
In August and September, the President enacted a Home Rule clause to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department, while activating thousands of National Guardsmen and federal agents to patrol the city’s streets for 30 days. The order has since ended, but National Guard troops are expected to remain patrolling the city until later this year, according to .
The president also directed federal attorneys to start seeking the death penalty in all cases , as long as they meet federal criteria.
“Washingtonians deserve full representation, and a bold voice to champion this, in the U.S. House of Representatives from a leader who will fight tirelessly for statehood, economic opportunity, upward mobility, and equity,” said White. “I’m running for Congress to ensure that our more than 700,000 residents are no longer treated as second-class citizens in their own country. The urgency of this moment demands leadership and not one dictated to us, and I am ready to carry this torch.”
White, a longtime D.C. resident who’s been on the council since 2016, was among the first to announce a run for the House congressional seat representing the nation’s capital. Fellow councilmember Brooke Pinto has also since announced her run for the seat.
White briefly worked under Norton, whom he called a “Warrior on the Hill” during his campaign event.