A Trump supporter is running for office in a D.C. neighborhood

Trumpism is on the poll in D.C, however not by means of the longshot Republican candidates for mayor and council.

The MAGA customary bearer in D.C. is Lenwood Johnson, a former native Democratic official working for neighborhood fee in his working class, majority-Black neighborhood in Southeast.

What I’m listening to: Some politicos east of the Anacostia River are watching Johnson with astonishment. Others are amused by his candidacy and are staying open-minded.

I wouldn’t usually regale you with tales about advisory neighborhood commissions, however c’mon: As one Ward 8 politico identified to me, his success would imply MAGA is making inroads in a Black, closely Democratic D.C. neighborhood.

• And Johnson has a Trumpian style for controversy that his citizens’s 2,000-some voters would possibly wish to learn about. A former Columbia Heights commissioner, he as soon as instructed a reporter he illegally carried an unregistered gun and infrequently raised listserv mischief, trolling a constituent for “bitchassness.” (Oh, there’s extra — later.)

The large image: Advisory neighborhood commissions are the bottom degree of D.C. politics, typically dwelling to rabble-rousing over improvement and bicycle lanes. The nonpartisan public workplace is crammed within the common election.

• ANCs don’t have decision-making energy, however they submit official opinions about neighborhood initiatives and advocate for, say, bettering a recreation heart or filling a pothole.

Zoom in: Johnson is working towards Erica Inexperienced for the open ANC 8C seat, which incorporates a part of Congress Heights.

• Inexperienced, who helped set up a neighborhood neighborhood backyard after a taking pictures, is working to enhance public security and walkability. Johnson’s Trumpism is “very scary for our neighborhood,” she tells me.
• When door knocking, Johnson swaps typical conservative speaking factors with a want to repave the “pothole-y” Martin Luther King Avenue SE. A library staffer for legislation corporations, he needs the District to increase library hours.

However make no mistake, Johnson describes himself as “pro-gun and pro-God.” His Toyota Camry has 4 Trump bumper stickers, together with two for 2024. He’s a fan of Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker.

• When individuals query his Trump fanaticism: “I say, why does it matter?”

Johnson, 62, grew up in rural central Virginia earlier than transferring right here and graduating from Howard College in 1983. He spent about ten years as a D.C. Democratic State Committee member.

Once I recite his file in Ward 1, he chuckles and acknowledges all the episodes:

• His admission of possessing an unregistered gun was adopted by a police raid, which didn’t flip up a firearm.
• Insulting an ANC colleague as a “lowlife” in 2011.
• And the time the Washington Publish reported in 2012 he used his D.C. government-paid cellphone for hours-long calls to adults-only cellphone traces.

What they’re saying: His Trump help “don’t imply a factor over right here,” says longtime Ward 8 politico Sandra Segars, a fan of his.

To not point out, Johnson continues to be a registered Democrat. Actually.

A skeptic of mail ballots, he solely trusts voting in individual on Election Day.

• Will he settle for the outcomes of his race, one that may probably garner just a few hundred votes?
• He lets out a deep sigh. Like a Trump disciple: “If I win, after all, sure.”

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