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Muriel Bowser: “Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that people thought I was…”

Featuring: Muriel Bowser, Democratic | Mayor of Washington D.C.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection

Published November 26, 2025 | Video Starts at 24:59

Can you tell us a little bit about that decision? Was it a singular moment? Was it cumulative? And Thanksgiving is tomorrow. What are you thankful for? Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that people thought I was going to run for a fourth term. When I ran for. I think it was Tom Sherwood. When I ran for a third term. You know what everybody said then, Tom, what did you say? (24:59–25:06)

CLAIM

Asserts surprise that people expected her to run for a fourth term.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Muriel Bowser

“Over $1 billion has just been invested in Congress Heights alone.”
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“We have a new Constitution.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 14:43-14:45
“We have a referendum for D.C. voters that says over 80% that this is what we want.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 14:50-14:57
“When I became mayor, unemployment numbers were over 11%. Before the pandemic, we got it below 10%.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 03:11-03:19
“We have built a foundation. Others will build upon it, but I'm proud of the work we've done.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 04:00-04:06
“We laid out a way to get out of [the unprecedented action by a president] and we got out of it.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 05:50-05:55
“It was an initiative that I did not support, and I think the Board of Elections is independent from my office.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 10:18-10:26
“I don't think there's been [an open mayoral seat] since Tony, since Mayor Williams.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 10:56-11:03
“The mayor of the District is always going to have a unique relationship with the president of Congress until we become a state.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 12:25-12:34
“When people ask me how close we are to statehood, I always say this close because that's how close we are to statehood.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 13:40-13:47
“Making D.C. a state is one of [the democracy votes].”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 14:09-14:09
“We have more support in the Congress than we've ever had.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 14:45-14:50
“Immigration enforcement has never been our job.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 17:03-17:08
“Our trajectory with our schools has to be maintained and mayoral control and council accountability has brought us a long way.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 19:40-19:50
“We have to grow our economy. We can't be a city that people will leave and we have to continue to attract good paying jobs.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 19:51-20:02
“We will have a strong transition.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 21:08-21:10
“I had a competitive general election back in 2014.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 22:07-22:12
“I think I had 54 days after I won to set up the government.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 22:32-22:37
“I only hire people when I have the right person.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 23:31-23:35
“I will not be running for that seat [Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's seat].”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 24:22-24:25
“We set out a big agenda, we delivered on it.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 25:40-25:45
“There have probably been 10 different fundraising changes in the time that I've been campaigning.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 27:48-27:55
“Public financed elections, which I think you're seeing a lot of people getting racist.”
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“It's not good when people take public money and drop out or don't get enough petitions or collude with each other.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 28:14-28:21
“I think if ranked choice voting emerges, it'll be a huge, huge difference in how voices, I think are counted in the city.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 28:37-28:49
“I think some voices will be diluted [if ranked choice voting emerges].”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 28:48-28:51
“I think that we will have a schedule in place that makes RFK unassailable.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 29:34-29:40
“The team has been working diligently even before there was a final vote.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Holds Press Briefing After Announcing She Won't Seek Reelection | Uploaded November 26, 2025 | 29:46-29:55