D.C.'s next mayor will inherit a projected $650 million budget gap in fiscal year 2028. Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, the three candidates on the ballot laid out competing plans on spending, taxes, policing and the Trump administration in interviews first reported by 7News.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has warned the gap would force difficult choices on child care, health care, education and after-school programs, according to 7News.

For the first time in 12 years, voters will pick a new mayor to replace Muriel Bowser after three terms. Democrat Janeese Lewis George is a Ward 4 councilmember and former assistant attorney general. Independent Rhonda Hamilton is an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in 6D08 who founded a D.C.-based mental health nonprofit. D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate Robert L. Gross is an Air Force veteran.

Budget and taxes

All three want spending audits. Lewis George told 7News she has not identified specific cuts and wants a "desk-by-desk" review of agencies. Hamilton questioned whether the problem is revenue or management and called for tighter scrutiny of government contracts. Gross said he would launch a citywide audit within 90 days and create public dashboards tracking agency spending.

On taxes, the candidates diverge. D.C.'s general sales tax is set to rise from 6% to 7% on Oct. 1, 2027. Lewis George pledged not to raise taxes on working families but left the door open to examining whether businesses with out-of-District owners pay enough. Hamilton warned higher business taxes could drive employers away. Gross said he sees no current need for increases.

Policing and youth crime

Lewis George said she supports a strong police department but wants to improve officer recruitment and shift some mental health calls away from officers. As we reported Tuesday, Oct. 27, she has pledged to end Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) cooperation with federal immigration enforcement in her first 100 days.

Hamilton called the defund-the-police movement "very irresponsibly done" and said the city needs better oversight and mental health services. Gross proposed an Integrated Emergency Services Act to coordinate police, fire and emergency medical responders.

All three rejected youth curfews as a lasting solution, favoring expanded recreation, after-school programs and community services instead.

Working with Trump

Lewis George told 7News her team has already been in contact with the Trump administration and that she would cooperate to protect federal funding. Hamilton said political disagreements should not block collaboration. Gross focused on a longer-term goal: preparing D.C. for statehood.

Early voting is underway, according to 7News. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.