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

WASHINGTON — A former Washington, D.C., Council member is returning to his seat, five months after he was kicked out for his involvement in a federal bribery investigation.

Trayon White defeated three challengers in a special election Tuesday to fill the Ward 8 council seat that has been vacant since his expulsion in February.

White, 41, was arrested by the FBI last August. After an internal investigation, the remaining 12 D.C. Council members voted unanimously to oust him from the council. However, White was free to enter the special election because he had not been convicted of a felony. He won reelection just a few months later in an indication of a scandal-proof popularity that echoes his political mentor, former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

In a victory speech Tuesday night, White thanked his supporters and described his return to office as a tale of resilience and redemption.

''So we sent a message loud and clear to D.C. City Council that Trayon White is here to stay," he said.

White's federal trial won't start until January 2026, but preliminary evidence includes videos of him pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor, allegedly in return for securing lucrative city contracts.

White's victory essentially prolongs an uncomfortable standoff with his D.C. Council colleagues — who now face the question of whether to expel him again, in defiance of 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.

Council members felt White damaged credibility

In advance of the February expulsion vote, multiple council members made it clear that White's continued presence would be damaging to the institution's credibility.

''Bribery of elected officials is quintessential corruption,'' Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in February. ''Trust is precious. Trust is critical for an elected government, and we must act.''

White faced a trio of challengers: Mike Austin, Sheila Bunn and Salim Adofo. All three had 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 pointed to White's legal troubles and emphasized a need to restore credibility and public trust to the Ward 8 council seat. White did minimal public campaigning or fundraising, skipped multiple candidate debates and left early from one 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.

Declaring victory Tuesday, White said: "It's a testament, man, that if you fall down — because we're all going to fall down — but can you get back up? Today Ward 8 stood up.''

How The Associated Press declared White the winner

The AP declared White the winner with an estimated 80% of the vote counted. The only ballots left to be counted are those that were returned in drop boxes Tuesday and any mail ballots postmarked as of Tuesday that arrive by July 25.

Among the ballots counted, White was leading in both mail ballots and those cast in person, either early or on Election Day. White's three competitors split the rest of the vote, none rising significantly above the others, preventing any one of them from having a path to catch White.