RAMW ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENTS IN DC PRIMARY ELECTION RACES

Contact: Sheena Pegarido, 202-805-2638
Jae Early, 202-640-5295, media@ramw.org 
 

Endorsed Candidates Share Commitment to Supporting the District’s Independent Restaurant Industry 

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2026) — Today, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) announced its endorsements for the 2026 DC primary election, backing Brooke Pinto for DC Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Kenyan McDuffie for Mayor, and Brian Schwalb for Attorney General. RAMW also endorsed Phil Mendelson for Chairman of the Council, Doni Crawford for Independent At-Large Councilmember, and Charles Allen for Ward 6 Councilmember.  

RAMW’s endorsements reflect the confidence that these leaders will support a fair and sustainable operating environment for restaurant owners and workers. These leaders support policies that foster economic recovery, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, improve public safety, encourage entrepreneurship, and ensure the District remains one of the nation’s most vibrant dining destinations. 

The endorsed candidates for DC Delegate, Mayor and DC Council align with our commitment to strengthening safeguards for ballot initiatives and opposing policies that would drive up the cost of goods and services in DC and hurt workers, businesses and DC’s economy.

“RAMW is proud to endorse these candidates for office,” said Shawn Townsend, RAMW president and CEO. “Beyond simply supporting our industry, it is critical that elected leaders remain accessible, listen to the concerns of restaurant operators and workers, and make a genuine effort to understand the challenges facing small businesses in today’s economic climate. Now, more than ever, we need policymakers who recognize the economic realities impacting the hospitality industry and who are committed to advancing policies that support long-term sustainability and growth. Hospitality remains one of the District’s strongest economic drivers, and the success of our industry is directly connected to the city’s overall economic health and financial stability.”

The endorsements have been well-informed by a rigorous process run by RAMW’s Political Action and Executive Committees. The committees, which represent a broad cross-section of the hospitality and restaurant industries, based their recommendations on the candidates’ voting records, commitment to legislative issues prioritized by RAMW, and a credible path to victory. The Board then received the recommendations and approved the endorsements by a supermajority. 

RAMW has not issued endorsements in the Ward 1, Ward 3, Ward 5, or At-Large Democratic races.

Disclosure: Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of RAMW, is serving in his personal capacity as a Ward 5 resident and volunteer co-chair of Brooke Pinto’s campaign for DC Delegate. The president and CEO of RAMW does not have a vote in the organization’s endorsement process. Recommendations were made through the organization’s Political Action Committee and Executive Committee and approved by a supermajority vote of the Board of Directors.

DC Delegate: Brooke Pinto

Councilmember Brooke Pinto brings direct industry experience to her candidacy. She holds a degree in hospitality from Cornell University and began her career in restaurants. In RAMW’s questionnaire, Pinto identified her top priorities as protecting DC’s local authority over restaurant regulations, driving federal investment into commercial corridors through expanded Opportunity Zone incentives and increased SBA funding, and pushing for GSA building transfers with ground-floor commercial space and below-market lease options for local operators. She also expressed strong opposition to cost-increasing policies affecting restaurant operators and support for reforming DC’s ballot initiative process. On the Council, Pinto has been a stalwart champion for DC's immigrant hospitality workers — including defending the District's Sanctuary Values law when others sought to overturn it — and has consistently fought to protect DC's Home Rule authority against congressional interference.

Mayor: Kenyan McDuffie

Kenyan McDuffie emphasizes a results-oriented approach to governance, improving public safety, focusing on supporting small businesses, modernizing city government, and strengthening neighborhood commercial corridors. In RAMW’s questionnaire, McDuffie highlighted reducing operational barriers for restaurants through streamlined permitting and licensing, including a commitment to consolidate the process into a single integrated digital portal and align renewal schedules across agencies. He also described plans to create a Business Launch Navigator, pairing AI tools with dedicated support to help cut the average time to legally open a business in DC by 50% within two years. McDuffie committed to a “Stay in DC” Commercial Space Fund to provide transitional rent support for small businesses at risk of displacement, and stressed the importance of public safety, economic revitalization, and creating stronger pathways for independent businesses to grow in the District.

Attorney General: Brian Schwalb

Attorney General Brian Schwalb submitted a statement in lieu of a questionnaire response, noting that, as the sitting Attorney General responsible for enforcing DC law, it was not appropriate to express personal positions on pending legislation. Schwalb recognized that DC’s restaurant industry is navigating a genuine “perfect storm” of economic pressure, driven by federal immigration enforcement disruptions, the reduction in the federal workforce, inflation, and the lingering effects of remote work on downtown foot traffic, which is placing particular strain on locally owned and small to midsized establishments. Schwalb highlighted steps taken during his first term to work constructively with the industry, including developing a Business Advisory at RAMW’s request with model language on service fees and gratuities, creating a standardized compliance guidance system for first-time service fee complaints rather than pursuing enforcement, and making consumer mediation available for prompt, informal resolution of complaints. He committed to maintaining an open-door relationship with RAMW in a second term, focused on transparency, practical problem-solving, and ensuring the legal framework supports the long-term stability of the industry.

DC Council Chair: Chairman Phil Mendelson

Council Chair Phil Mendelson has served on the DC Council for nearly three decades and has consistently recognized the importance of DC’s restaurant industry to the city’s economy and culture. In RAMW’s questionnaire, Mendelson highlighted his commitment to reducing repetitive applications, addressing conflicting inspections, and improving administrative processing timelines. He expressed support for reforms to the District’s ballot initiative process to require greater fiscal transparency, and noted his desire to do more to support immigrant workers in DC’s hospitality sector, while acknowledging the limits the District faces due to Congressional interference. He also expressed support for making it easier, cheaper, and quicker for new restaurants to open.

Independent At-Large Councilmember: Doni Crawford

Councilmember Doni Crawford highlighted the importance of preserving DC’s independent restaurant scene and ensuring small operators are not pushed out by rising costs and regulatory burdens. In RAMW’s questionnaire, Crawford expressed support for requiring fiscal impact analysis for ballot initiatives and called for fixing the notification and coordination failures that leave business owners unaware of outstanding debts until they trigger a license denial. She emphasized the need to meaningfully engage communities in multimodal transportation planning before implementing streetscape changes. Crawford also supported establishing a hospitality-specific liaison within the Department of Small and Local Business Development to serve as a single point of contact for aspiring restaurant owners navigating the DC government. Her top three priorities for the restaurant industry are reducing regulatory burdens, improving housing affordability so workers can live near their jobs, and exploring meals tax reform.

Ward 6 Councilmember: Charles Allen

Councilmember Charles Allen has remained actively engaged on issues impacting DC’s restaurant industry and neighborhood commercial corridors. In RAMW’s questionnaire, Allen identified reducing the financial pressures bearing down on small operators as a central priority for his continued work on the Council. He also expressed support for addressing rising swipe fees and other operational costs impacting small businesses, and supported requiring ballot initiatives to address a single subject and include a fiscal impact statement.

Allen also co-introduced last summer’s Initiative 82 compromise legislation, which preserved the tip credit and adjusted the implementation timeline in an effort to reduce financial pressure on operators. As one of the Council’s more influential voices on small business and economic development policy, Allen will continue to play an important role in shaping legislation impacting the hospitality industry. RAMW looks forward to continuing conversations with his office on policies that support independent restaurants, workers, and vibrant neighborhood business corridors across the District.

The endorsed candidates demonstrated meaningful alignment with RAMW’s priorities and a willingness to collaborate with the restaurant community on policies that strengthen both the local industry and the broader regional economy. RAMW encourages members to learn more about the candidates and participate in the upcoming primary election. 

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About Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) 

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is the regional trade association representing restaurants and the food service industry in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area. Established in 1920, RAMW is an advocate, resource, and community for its members. The Association works to promote and sustain the growth and development of the industry while providing its members legislative and regulatory representation, marketing and small business support, programming and events. RAMW strives to serve its members with professionalism and integrity and provide them with the training, education, and support they need to grow a successful business. For more information about RAMW, visit www.ramw.org.