Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Muriel Bowser

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Muriel Bowser made an impact.

Muriel Bowser is an American politician currently serving as the mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A Democrat, Bowser previously served as the Councilmember for Ward 4 from 2007 to 2015. She is the second female mayor of Washington D.C., following Sharon Pratt, but the first woman to be re-elected to the position. Her tenure as mayor has focused on affordable housing, education, and economic development in the district.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2004: Began political career in Advisory Neighborhood Commission

In 2004, Muriel Bowser began her political career, running unopposed for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) representing district 4B09, which includes the neighborhood of Riggs Park.

2004: Elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission

In 2004, Muriel Bowser was elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

2004: Paul E. Montague recalled

In 2004, Paul E. Montague, who ran against Muriel Bowser in 2008, had been Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of 4B07 before being recalled.

2006: Re-election to Advisory Neighborhood Commission

In 2006, Muriel Bowser ran unopposed again when she ran for re-election to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

2006: Campaign Coordinator for Adrian Fenty

In 2006, Muriel Bowser was the campaign coordinator for Ward 4 for Adrian Fenty, Member of the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 4, ran for Mayor of the District of Columbia.

2007: Elected to the Council in a Special Election

In 2007, Bowser was elected to the council in a special election, succeeding Adrian Fenty, who had been elected mayor.

2007: Became a Member of the Council of the District of Columbia

In 2007, Muriel Bowser represented the 4th ward as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia.

2008: Re-elected to the Council

In 2008, Bowser was re-elected to the council.

2008: Reelection campaign for the council

In 2008, Muriel Bowser announced her reelection campaign for the council. Three individuals ran against her in the Democratic primary: Baruti Akil Jahi, Malik Mendenhall-Johnson, and Paul E. Montague.

2011: Appointed to the WMATA board of governors

In 2011, Bowser was appointed to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) board of governors.

2012: Ran for Reelection

In 2012, Bowser ran for reelection for the council. Candidate Max Skolnik criticized Bowser for receiving campaign contributions from developers, corporate bundlers, and lobbyists, saying that Bowser would favor the interests of these corporate donors.

2012: Re-elected to the Council

In 2012, Bowser was re-elected to the council.

March 23, 2013: Announced Candidacy for Mayor

On March 23, 2013, Muriel Bowser announced that she would run for Mayor of the District of Columbia in the 2014 election. Her campaign's chair was former council member William Lightfoot.

2014: Ran for Mayor

In 2014, Bowser ran for mayor, defeating incumbent mayor Vincent C. Gray in the Democratic primary and winning the general election with 55% of the vote.

January 2, 2015: Took Office as Mayor

On January 2, 2015, Muriel Bowser took office as Mayor of the District of Columbia after winning the election with 80,824 votes (54.53%).

January 2015: Bowser Inaugural Speech Focuses on Gun Control

In her inaugural speech in January 2015, Bowser characterized herself as "a mayor who hates guns", signaling her strong stance on gun control.

March 2015: DC Streetcar Promise

As part of her first State of the District Address in March 2015, Bowser promised to get the DC Streetcar "up and running".

September 2015: Bowser Announces Deal for Washington Wizards Practice Facility

In September 2015, Bowser announced a deal with Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonsis to build a practice facility for the Washington Wizards, with District taxpayers covering 90% of the estimated $55 million cost.

October 2015: Exelon and Pepco Merger Support

In October 2015, Bowser changed her position to support the $6.4-billion merger between Exelon and Pepco, drawing criticism for a lack of transparency and potential ethics concerns. Community activists alleged Bowser was swayed by a $25 million pledge to rename the future MLS Soccer Stadium as Pepco Park.

December 2015: Exelon Payment to FreshPAC Chairman

In December 2015, it was revealed that Exelon had paid the chairman of FreshPAC, a political action committee affiliated with Bowser's allies, as a lobbyist, further fueling ethics concerns surrounding Bowser's support for the Exelon-Pepco merger.

2015: Vision Zero Initiative Launch

In 2015, Bowser announced Vision Zero, a traffic safety initiative aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities by 2024. The launch involved Bowser and supporters waving green signs at intersections to urge motorists to slow down.

2015: Creation of New Cabinet Post

In 2015, Bowser created a new cabinet post to focus on development in the city's poorest areas and named Courtney Snowden to the position.

2015: Left the WMATA board of governors

In 2015, Bowser left her position on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) board of governors.

2015: Became Mayor of the District of Columbia

In 2015, Muriel Bowser became the mayor of the District of Columbia. She is the second female mayor of the District of Columbia after Sharon Pratt, and the first woman to be reelected to that position.

2015: Bowser Sets Goal to Halve HIV/AIDS Cases

In 2015, upon taking office, Bowser set a goal to halve the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the District by 2020.

January 2016: Credit Card Abuse by Former Executives

In January 2016, the D.C. Trust's board learned that former executives used funds to pay tens of thousands of dollars in credit-card charges, including some for personal use.

January 2016: Traffic Paralysis and Apology

In January 2016, traffic throughout the D.C. region was paralyzed by an inch of snow. Bowser apologized for an inadequate response, stating, "we should have been there earlier."

February 2016: Bowser Unveils Plan for Housing Homeless Families

In February 2016, Bowser unveiled a plan to provide housing for homeless families following the closure of District of Columbia General Hospital, announcing the location of one shelter in each of the District's eight wards without community consultation.

February 27, 2016: H Street/Benning Line Public Service Operations

The H Street/Benning DC Streetcar line began public service operations on February 27, 2016.

April 2016: D.C. Trust Bankruptcy

In April 2016, the D.C. Trust declared bankruptcy and announced plans to dissolve, attributed in part to overspending. The agency suffered a history of abuse and mismanagement.

May 2016: Endorsement of Hillary Clinton

In mid-May 2016, Bowser endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy ahead of the 2016 District of Columbia Democratic primary.

2016: Democratic National Convention Speech

Bowser delivered a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, advocating for D.C. statehood.

2016: Praising Raul Castro

In 2016, Bowser praised Raul Castro, leading to later criticism in 2021 when she removed the "CUBA LIBRE" painting in front of the Cuban embassy.

January 2017: Reaffirmation of Sanctuary City Status

In January 2017, following Trump's inauguration and an executive order threatening to withhold Federal funding from sanctuary cities, Bowser affirmed that the District would maintain its status as a sanctuary city, despite protests calling for a stronger denouncement of Trump's policies.

October 2017: $3 Million Infusion into Wards 7 and 8

In October 2017, Bowser announced a $3 million infusion into housing and retail projects in D.C. Wards 7 and 8 to address the scarcity of grocery stores. This included $2.1 million to the Jair Lynch group and $880,000 to South Capitol Affordable Housing.

November 2017: Citizenship Assistance Partnership

In November 2017, Bowser announced that the District was partnering with the National Immigration Forum to assist green card holders working for the D.C. Government and their families in applying for U.S. citizenship. The partnership would offer information, legal help, citizenship test coaching, and language classes, potentially saving applicants up to $2,000 in legal fees.

December 2017: Sexual Harassment Training Order

In December 2017, Bowser ordered that 30,000 employees of the District receive sexual harassment training by February 2018, with 1,500 supervisors also required to complete advanced, in-person training.

2017: Snowden Misuse of City Employees

In 2017, the Inspector General found that Snowden had improperly used city employees to care for her child. Bowser stated that appropriate management action had been taken without specifying the action.

2017: Increase in Traffic Fatalities

In 2017, traffic fatalities continued to rise despite the launch of Vision Zero in 2015.

January 2018: Bowser Invests in Anacostia River Islands

In January 2018, Bowser announced a $4.7 million investment in Kingman Island and Heritage Island in the Anacostia River. She also designated portions of each island as a state conservation area, restricting their use to recreation and education, and plans to add outdoor classrooms, walkways, a floating lab platform and bathrooms.

February 2018: Formation of Autonomous Vehicle Work Group

In February 2018, Bowser announced the formation of a work group to explore the benefits of autonomous vehicle technology. The city and the Southwest Business Improvement District explored a pilot shuttle program along 10th Street, S.W.

March 2018: Bowser Supports March for Our Lives Rally

In March 2018, Bowser was "unusually supportive" of the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., and was said to be positioning herself as a national figure in the gun control movement.

December 2018: District Announces Plan to Cut Opioid Deaths

In December 2018, the District announced an "ambitious" plan aiming to cut opioid deaths by half within about two years, using treatment, tracking, and education. The plan's recommendations were described as vague or expanding existing programs.

2018: Cyclist Protests

Following a pair of biking fatalities in the summer of 2018, cyclists protested that Bowser had failed at promoting traffic safety.

2018: Re-election Campaign

In 2018, Bowser filed to run for re-election. She won the June 19 Democratic Primary with 83% of the vote and went on to win the November 8 general election with just under 80% of the vote.

2018: Won Second Term as Mayor

In 2018, Bowser won a second term as mayor with 76.4% of the vote.

2018: Homelessness Decreases in D.C.

In 2018, the results of an annual survey reflected a 7.6% drop in the homeless population from 2017, following a 17.3% drop the year before in D.C.

April 2019: Limited Release of Body Cam Footage

As of April 2019, out of 25 involved officer shootings from 2016 to 2018, only three instances of body cam footage from the Metropolitan Police Department were released, despite Bowser's support for body cameras.

2019: Reorganized D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

In 2019, Muriel Bowser took steps to reorganize the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to bring it under her administration's guidance.

2019: Bike Advocate Fatality

In 2019, a prominent bike advocate was struck and killed by a driver along a stretch of road that was known to be dangerous, further highlighting the challenges in achieving Vision Zero's goals.

2019: Handcuffing of Young Children

In 2019, the Metropolitan Police Department handcuffed a 9-year-old and a 10-year-old in separate incidents, sparking public outrage. Bowser responded by saying "every case is different" and questioning the appropriateness of circulating photos of juveniles.

January 2020: Endorsement of Michael Bloomberg

In late January 2020, Bowser endorsed Michael Bloomberg's campaign in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

May 2020: Speed Limit Reduction

In May 2020, Bowser announced that the default speed limits in D.C. would be reduced to 20 mph, claiming that "slower speeds can help improve safety".

2020: Democratic National Convention Speech

At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Bowser delivered a speech remotely from Black Lives Matter Plaza.

January 6, 2021: Capitol Riot and Curfew Imposition

On January 6, 2021, during the storming of the US Capitol, Bowser imposed a curfew in response to the pro-Trump rioters and insurrectionists protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.

October 2021: Neil Albert Resignation

In October 2021, the Chair of the D.C. Housing Authority, Neil Albert, resigned after it was revealed he had channeled contracts to a romantic partner. Bowser had supported Albert before his departure. His replacement, Dionne Bussey-Reeder, also had issues with unpaid income taxes.

2021: "CUBA LIBRE" Painting Controversy

During the 2021 Cuban protests in July, the words "CUBA LIBRE" were painted in front of the Cuban embassy in support of the Cuban people, but were removed by the Bowser administration, who classified the words as "unauthorized", causing controversy.

February 2022: Bowser Reappoints Karima Holmes to Lead Office of Unified Communications

In February 2022, Muriel Bowser reappointed Karima Holmes to lead the Office of Unified Communications, a position Holmes previously held for six years. During her prior tenure, the city's 911 system had fallen short of national standards, resulting in fatal consequences.

April 2022: Migrant Crisis

Beginning in April 2022, Texas and Arizona started sending migrants to D.C., leading to a 'migrant crisis'. Bowser criticized the governors of Texas and Arizona and requested assistance from the National Guard.

September 8, 2022: Public Emergency Declaration and Office of Migrant Services Establishment

On September 8, 2022, Bowser declared a public emergency in D.C. and established an Office of Migrant Services to provide services to migrants arriving from Texas and Arizona.