Elissa Silverman, an independent, is running to return to the D.C. Council at-large seat she held for eight years. The Nov. 3, 2026, general election will fill two at-large seats, with voters choosing up to two candidates.

Silverman is one of four candidates listed in the race. The others are Darrell Green (Republican), Darryl L.C. Moch (Statehood Green) and Oye Owolewa (Democratic).

Background

Silverman lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and history from Brown University and a master's degree in urban public policy from the University of Maryland.

She served as an at-large D.C. councilmember from 2015 to 2023, according to BallotReady profile data. Before entering elected office, she worked as a reporter at The Washington Post and as a columnist at Washington City Paper. She later served as a policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. In 2024, she served as chief strategy officer at the Maryland Department of Labor.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Silverman's responses to a public candidate questionnaire published by 51st.news and from her campaign website.

Housing: Silverman said she wants to work with the D.C. Housing Authority to redevelop public land into mixed-use communities. She said the city's housing tools, including vouchers, the Housing Production Trust Fund, private partnerships and the housing authority, need better coordination toward a shared set of goals.

Education and student absenteeism: Silverman described the nearly 40% student absenteeism rate in D.C. as an urgent crisis, according to her questionnaire response. She said she wants to work with the DCPS chancellor to make schools feel like spaces where students are safe and want to attend.

Federal government: Silverman said she wants the D.C. Council to evaluate the federal implications any time the city takes an action that the White House or Republican lawmakers might push back on. She said the Council should coordinate proactively with the D.C. attorney general and congressional delegate.

Paid family leave: During her prior council tenure from 2015 to 2023, Silverman said she championed and helped pass D.C.'s paid family leave law, according to her campaign website.

Endorsements

The following endorsements have been claimed by the endorsing organizations, according to the 51st.news questionnaire and BallotReady profile data:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Bike Walk Bus PAC
  • Greater Greater Washington
  • Sierra Club DC

Candidate positions in this profile are drawn from public campaign statements and questionnaire responses, not from reporting by this outlet.