Brian Schwalb, the Democratic incumbent, is running for a second term as District of Columbia attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Republican Manuel Rivera is also on the ballot.

According to his campaign website, Schwalb participates in the District's Fair Elections Program. His campaign is funded solely by individual donors, with contributions capped at $200 per person. He does not accept money from PACs, corporations or other special interests, according to the site.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: District of Columbia attorney general
  • Education: Bachelor's degree, Duke University, 1989; juris doctor, Harvard, 1992
  • Hometown roots: Third-generation Washingtonian, according to the Office of the Attorney General website. Graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md., in 1985, according to his Wikipedia entry.

Experience and public service

Schwalb has served as attorney general since 2023, according to BallotReady profile data. Before taking office, he was vice chairman firm-wide at Venable LLP, according to the Office of the Attorney General website.

Earlier in his career, Schwalb was a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1994 to 1998, according to BallotReady. He was a partner at Schwalb, Donnenfeld & Schwalb from 1999 to 2005. He also served as a law clerk for Judge John R. Hargrove at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Schwalb is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, whose membership is limited to the top 1% of area trial lawyers, according to a congressional biography.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Schwalb's campaign website and his BallotReady responses. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

D.C. autonomy and federal overreach: Schwalb said his office has filed more than 50 lawsuits and amicus briefs opposing what he called unlawful federal orders, including the deployment of the National Guard in D.C. He said those efforts preserved hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for the District. He also said he is working to stop the federal government's attempted takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Housing: Schwalb said he has sued what he calls D.C.'s "housing cartel" for illegally raising rents and has taken action against landlords for dangerous housing conditions. He pledged to expand the attorney general's office focus on slumlords who intentionally fail to maintain safe, habitable, code-compliant homes, particularly where property owners engage in what he called the illegal practice of constructive eviction.

Workers' rights and wages: Schwalb said he would aggressively prosecute employers who fail to pay earned wages, overtime and benefits, or who misclassify employees as independent contractors. He also pledged to address labor trafficking and to advocate for stronger protections for workers who report wage theft or discrimination.

Public safety and criminal justice: Schwalb said he would coordinate with the U.S. Attorney's Office and law enforcement in Maryland and Virginia to share information and prosecute offenders who cross jurisdictional lines. He pledged to protect seniors from scams and financial exploitation, improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, and use diversion programs for at-risk youth. He said he would hold accountable young offenders who commit violent crimes or crimes involving guns.

Environment: Schwalb said he would enforce District environmental laws and pursue legal action against polluters. He pledged to participate in multi-jurisdictional environmental litigation and to monitor weaknesses in D.C. infrastructure that affect natural resources.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are listed on Schwalb's campaign endorsements page and BallotReady profile data:

  • Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund
  • DC Young Democrats
  • DC Latino Caucus
  • Washington Parking Association
  • Amalgamated Transit Union
  • Working Families Party
  • Sierra Club
  • AFL-CIO

Candidate positions and claims were drawn from Schwalb's campaign website and his responses submitted through BallotReady. They have not been independently verified.