The 1992 general election for the Council of the District of Columbia was held on November 3, with primaries taking place on September 15. All incumbents ran for reelection but only four out of the six councilmembers were elected, with the remaining two both losing their party nominations during the primary. Ward 7 councilmember H. R. Crawford was unseated by challenger Kevin P. Chavous by a 4% margin in the Democratic primary. Former mayor Marion Barry returned to politics after his release from prison as the Ward 8 councilmember, beating incumbent Wilhelmina Rolark in the Democratic primary by a 3–1 margin. In Ward 4, Charlene Drew Jarvis kept her nomination in the Democratic primary by only 114 votes, but ended up winning reelection in the general election.
Summary Democrats remained the largest party on the council, with no seats being lost to other parties or independents. The District was part of the larger anti-incumbent wave seen nationwide in 1992, with multiple incumbents either losing their primary nominations or winning by close margins. However, the dominance of the Democratic party in DC meant that none of the November general elections were particularly competitive.
PositionIncumbentCertified candidates ▌Democratic ▌Statehood
▌Independent ▌RepublicanMemberPartyFirstelectedStatus At-Large William Lightfoot 1988 Incumbent re-elected. John Ray 50.5% William Lightfoot 29.7% Sam Jordan 9.3% Philip Baten 6.3% Brian Patrick Moore 4.5% John Ray 1979 Incumbent re-elected. Ward 2 Jack Evans 1991 (special) Incumbent re-elected. Jack Evans 79.0% Herbert Coles 13.6% Nathaniel T. Adams 6.7% Ward 4 Charlene Drew Jarvis 1979 (special) Incumbent re-elected. Charlene Drew Jarvis 77.0% Taalib-Din Abdul Uqdah 17.8% Paul V. Brown 3.9% Ward 7 H. R. Crawford 1980Incumbent lost re-electionNew member elected.Democratic hold. Kevin P. Chavous 95.8% Johnnie Scott Rice 3.8% Ward 8 Wilhelmina Rolark 1976Incumbent lost re-electionNew member elected.Democratic hold. Marion Barry 89.8% Richard Miller 5.8% W. Cardell Shelton 2.9%
At-large
Democratic incumbent John Ray and Independent incumbent William Lightfoot were both re-elected to the Council.
Democratic primary Candidates M Skeeter Douglas Jr. Jim Montgomery John Ray, incumbent At-large Councilmember
Statehood primary Candidates Sam Jordan
Republican primary No candidates filed for the primary, with Philip Baten winning the nomination through write-in votes.
Independents Candidates William Lightfoot Brian Patrick Moore
General election
Ward 2
Incumbent councilmember Jack Evans won re-election to his first full term on the Council after he won the seat during the 1991 special election to replace John Wilson.
Democratic primary Candidates Jack Evans
Republican primary No candidates filed for the primary, with Herbert Coles winning the nomination through write-in votes.
Independents Candidates Nathaniel T. Adams
General Election
Ward 4
Incumbent councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis narrowly won re-election after facing accusations of neglect due to her repeated mayoral campaigns and outside work with national politics as part of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign. She won her primary by a mere 114 votes, one of the closest primary elections with only two registered candidates in Council history, but independent challenger Taalib-Din Abdul Uqdah was unable to capture the momentum as Jarvis took more than 3/4ths of the vote in the general election.
Democratic primary Candidates Charlene Drew Jarvis, incumbent Ward 4 Councilmember F. Alexis Roberson, former Marion Barry mayoral administration official
Endorsements
Republican primary No candidates filed for the primary, with Paul V. Brown winning the nomination through write-in votes.
Independents Candidates Taalib-Din Abdul Uqdah
General Election
Ward 7
Incumbent councilmember H. R. Crawford lost his primary to Kevin P. Chavous, a lawyer and community organizer who reportedly personally knocked on every door in the ward.
Democratic primary Candidates Nate Bush Kevin P. Chavous H. R. Crawford Tony Graham Sr.
Republican primary Candidates Johnnie Scott Rice
General Election
Ward 8
Marion Barry returned to District government after his release from prison, resoundingly beating incumbent Wilhelmina Rolark in the Democratic primary and cleaning up against Independent Richard Miller and Republican W. Cardell Shelton in the general election.
Democratic primary Candidates Marion Barry Charles Chuck Dixon Ab Jordan Jephunneh Lawrence Wilhelmina Rolark
Endorsements
Republican primary Candidates W. Cardell Shelton
Independents Candidates Richard Miller
General Election
References