1995 Council of the District of Columbia special election

1995 Council of the District of Columbia special election Flag of the District of Columbia.svg presidential 1992 Council of the District of Columbia election#Ward 8 1992 1996 Council of the District of Columbia election#Ward 8 1996 May 12, 1995 3x4.svg Eydie Whittington District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 810 20.37% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 3x4.svg Sandy Allen 808 20.32% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 3x4.svg Lafayette A. Barnes 506 12.72% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 3x4.svg William Lockridge 465 11.69% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 3x4.svg Malik Z. Shabazz 319 8.02% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee 3x4.svg O. V. Johnson 252 6.34% Chairperson Vacant Eydie Whittington Democratic The 1995 Council of the District of Columbia special election was held on May 12, 1995, to elect the position of Ward 8 Councilmember to the District of Columbia. The election was called following the resignation of incumbent councilmember Marion Barry due to his election as Mayor in 1994. Background Incumbent councilmember Marion Barry had served on Council since 1992 as the councilmember for Ward 8 in his return to city politics after his conviction for crack cocaine possession and usage. He had served on the Council previously as an at-large councilmember from 1974 to 1978 before his first election as mayor. Although he had stated that he was "not interested in being mayor" after being returned to office in 1992,Former Mayor's Victory Worries Many in Capital The New York Times September 17, 1992 https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DE1738F934A2575AC0A964958260 he formally announced his candidacy for mayor on May 21, 1994. Upon his victory in the election, he resigned his position as Ward 8 Councilmember, leaving a vacancy to be filled by special election the following year. The all-in nature of special elections in the District of Columbia, which have only a general election, led to a tidal wave of prospective candidates. The relative power vacuum created in Ward 8 local politics following Barry's resignation resulted in an eventual 22 candidates appearing on the final ballot, with 19 filing as Democrats. The campaign was seen as a referendum on Barry himself, as he endorsed eventual winner Eydie Whittington, whose campaign was chaired by Barry's wife.Fletcher Michael WARD 8 RACE IS SEEN AS A REFERENDUM ON BARRY https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/04/27/ward-8-race-is-seen-as-a-referendum-on-barry/a7d7bd4e-2f9d-4bb1-9cdf-c7f65fcde5d9/ The Washington Post The Washington Post 24 June 2026 DC1 26 April 1995 Candidates Democratic Party Sandy Allen Lafayette A. Barnes James Bunn Charles Dixon Jr. Mel Edwards Don Folden Sr. F. D. R. Fox Bill Harris O. V. Johnson Absalom F. Jordan Jr. Jephunneh Lawrence William Lockridge Richard A. Miller Michael A. Sanders Cynthia Smith Gloria E. Thurman Gordon A. White Eydie Whittington Endorsements Eydie Whittington Local Officials Marion Barry, mayor and vacating Ward 8 Councilmember Republican Party W. Cardell Shelton Umoja Party Rahim Jenkins Independents Malik Z. Shabazz General election 1995 Council of the District of Columbia special electionMay 12 1995 General Election https://dcboe.org/getmedia/6153710a-6338-440a-a10e-bf8bf84ce43d/Ward8_results_1995.pdf DC Board of Elections 24 June 2026 District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Eydie Whittington 810 20.37% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Sandy Allen 808 20.32% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Lafayette A. Barnes 506 12.72% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee William Lockridge 465 11.69% Independent Malik Z. Shabazz 319 8.02% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee O. V. Johnson 252 6.34% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee James Bunn 175 4.40% Umoja Party Rahim Jenkins 128 3.22% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Absalom F. Jordan Jr. 100 2.51% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Gordon A. White 60 1.51% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Michael A. Sanders 58 1.46% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Charles Dixon Jr. 52 1.31% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Bill Harris 44 1.11% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Don Holden Sr. 43 1.08% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Gloria E. Thurman 37 0.93% District of Columbia Republican Party W. Cardell Shelton 32 0.80% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Cynthia Smith 21 0.53% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Jephunneh Lawrence 20 0.50% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee F. D. R. Fox 12 0.30% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Mel Edwards 10 0.25% District of Columbia Democratic State Committee Richard A. Miller 4 0.10% 21 0.53% 3977 100% References Category:1995 United States local elections Category:Council of the District of Columbia elections