Former Council Member Kenyan McDuffie
Issue Area Rank
Worker’s Rights Not Aligned
Economic Justice Mixed Record
Environmental Justice Not Aligned
Electoral Justice: DC4D works in coalition to dismantle barriers to voter participation. We believe small, grassroots donors should have more power in our elections than corporate interests, and no one should win office with a minority of the vote.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on issues of electoral justice:
Used Fair Elections public financing in most recent election
Did not co-introduce legislation to create Ranked Choice Voting in DC
Voted against amendment to fund the implementation of Ranked Choice Votingstarting in 2026
Voted for amendment to delay implementation of Ranked Choice Voting to 2028
Housing Justice: Housing is a human right. Too many DC residents, especially Black and brown residents, live in substandard conditions and yet pay more than half their income for rent. DC should ensure all residents have access to decent affordable housing. Ending long-term homelessness is an important first step in ending all forms of homelessness and housing injustice.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on issue of housing justice
Did not support capping rent hikes at 5% for rent-controlled units in 2023 and 2024
Did not vote for an income tax increase to fund housing for residents experiencing homelessness
Did not vote to maintain tenant purchase rights in new downtown office-to-housing conversions
Voted to make it harder to qualify for Emergency Rental Assistance
Did not vote to maintain a 30-day period before eviction can be filed.
Did not vote to protect tenant purchase (TOPA) rights in 2025 RENTAL Act
Community Safety: Thesafest communities are ones where everyone’s needs are met. Only by broadening our understanding of safety will allow us to make sustainable progress toward a District in which fewer people experience and then perpetrate harm. This work should center on meeting the needs of people most at risk of violence.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on community safety:
Voted to remove police from schools
Voted for the penalty-focused crime emergency bill in 2023
Did not sign on to the Metro Safety Act with increased and harsh penalties for fare evasion
Signed on to the ERASE Act to greatly limit solitary confinement at the DC Jail
Did not sign on to the FRESH STARTS Act to improve the quality of food at theDC Jail
Did not vote for an amendment to reduce use of pre-trial detention in the Peace DC Act
Voted to limit powers of Special Police Officers in public transit in the Peace DC Act
Voted for the Residential Tranquility Act that limits First Amendment protest rights
Supported amendment to Secure DC Act toprevent expanding DNA collection to people merely arrested for a felony.
Supported amendment to Secure DC act to speed up implementation of law to enable criminal record sealing and expungement.
Did not sign on to a bill to prevent MPD from cooperating with ICE/federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.
Education: Educational success shouldn't be defined by the ward we live in. Neighborhood public schools are the foundation of a strong school system and should be protected against privatization. Learning and equity begin at birth,and we should follow student leadership when it comes to school safety and priorities.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on education:
Did not vote for an income tax increase to provide a pay increase to child care teachers
Did not sign on to legislation to make the State Superintendent of Education report to State Board of Education, instead of the Mayor
Signed on to legislation to make school meals free to all students
Did not sign on to legislation to make the Office of the State Superintendent of Education an independent agency.
Signed on to legislation to make out-of-school time programs available to all students who want it
Workers’ Rights: Workers’ rights are civil rights. Living wages, economic justice, and accountability from businesses are part of how we create a fair and just future for everyone in DC. Every worker should be protected by human rights, health and safety laws.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on workers’s rights:
Voted to ensure domestic workers are covered by DC labor laws for wages and safety
Voted for amendment to to reduce base wages for tipped workers to $8/hour
Voted to cap the minimum wage for tipped workers at 75% of the full minimum wage, reversing the Initiative 82 requirement to raise the tipped minimum wage to the full minimum wage
Did not sign on to legislation to raise wages for participants in the Summer Youth Employment Program
Economic Justice: This category addresses whether the Councilmember fought for policies to reduce income and racial inequality, and whether they supported tax increases on high-income residents.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on economic justice:
Did not vote for income tax increase to fund a pay increase for child care teachers, vouchers for people experiencing homelessness, and an expanded tax credit for working poor families
Signed on to legislation to increase SNAP food assistance
Voted to create Baby Bonds accounts for children in lower-income families
Did not sign on to legislation to create a Child Tax Credit
Did not voted to raise capital gains tax rates in FY2026 budget
Voted for the RFK Stadium deal, the largest stadium subsidy in U.S. history
Voted to de-couple from federal tax cuts and use savings to create a Child Tax Credit and expand DC’s Earned Income Tax Credit
Environmental Justice: Climate change, global warming, and an endangeredenvironment have impacts in every system of existence. Government and corporate greed have systematically and adversely infringed on the sanctity of our planet and our neighbors in vulnerable communities. Mitigating the climate disaster with stringent advocacy is how we care for our communities.
Kenyan McDuffie’s votes on environmental justice:
Did not sign on to Green New Deal for Housing Act
Did not sign on to the Healthy Homes Act to help residents with low-incomes electrify their home
Voted for the Solar for All Expansion Act, which subsidized the solar industry at a cost to low-income consumers who rent or own but cannot afford to install solar’
Did not sign on to the Clean Energy DC Building Code Act
Did not sign on to Climate Commitment Act
Did not sign on to the Greener Government Buildings Act
Did not sign on to the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Act (aka, the Bottle Bill)
Introduced legislation requiring a “cumulative impact statement” to prevent environmentally harmful projects in already overburdened communities
Issue Area Rank
Electoral Justice Not Aligned
Housing Not Aligned
Community Safety Mixed Record
Education Not Aligned
former At-large mcduffie Scorecard
Party: Independent
First Elected: 2012
Used Public Financing in last election: Yes
Endorsements by DC4D in the last race? No
Overview: The DC4D scorecard assesses a DC Councilmember’s commitment to economic, racial, and social justice. The scorecard is broken into issue areas, and within each issue area, members are ranked based on their support for bills that would advance justice, as well as their opposition to bills that would widen racial or economic inequity.