1998 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia

The 1998 Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia took place on November 13, 1998, to elect a shadow member to the United States House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia. Unlike non-voting delegates, the Shadow Representative is only recognized by the District of Columbia and is not officially sworn or seated. One-term incumbent Sabrina Sojourner declined to run for reelection and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Tom Bryant.

United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, 1998

November 13, 1998
Turnout	40.2% pp[1]
Nominee Tom Bryant David VanWilliams Mike Livingston Party Democratic D.C. Statehood Green Popular vote 86,546 14,637 9,479 Percentage 76.8% 13.0% 8.4%
Shadow Representative before election Sabrina Sojourner Democratic Elected Shadow Representative Tom Bryant Democratic

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on September 15.

Candidates

• Tom Bryant, non-profit fundraiser and consultant[2]
• Eduardo Burkhart, Chairman of the New Columbia Liberation Organization[2]

Results

District of Columbia Shadow Representative Democratic primary election, 1998[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Bryant, Jr. (incumbent)	45,492	73,29
	Democratic	Eduardo Burkhart	14,590	23.51
	Democratic	Write-ins	1,987	3.20
Total votes			62,069	100.0

Candidate

• David VanWilliams, carpenter and US Army veteran[4]

Results

District of Columbia Shadow Representative DC Statehood primary election, 1998[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	D.C. Statehood	David VanWilliams	291	84.84
	D.C. Statehood	Write-ins	52	15.16
Total votes			343	100.0

Other primaries

Primaries were held for the Republican, and Umoja parties but no candidates were on the ballot and only write-in votes were cast.[3]

Green

Social justice activist and writer Mike Livingston was nominated by the DC Green Party. The DC Green Party had only been founded earlier that year and Livingston was among the first Green candidates to appear on the ballot.[5]

General election

The general election took place on November 13. This was the first election contested by the Green Party, which had been founded earlier that year. Livingston exceeded the 7,500 vote threshold needed to achieve ballot access for the Greens in future elections.[6]

Results

General election results[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Bryant, Jr.	86,546	76.75	-6.62
	D.C. Statehood	David VanWilliams	14,637	12.98	+12.98
	Green	Mike Livingston	9,479	8.41	+8.41
	n/a	Write-ins	2,108	1.87	-0.39
Total votes			112,770	100.0%

References

1. "Final and Complete Election Results". DC Board of Elections. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
2. "U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (SHADOW)". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
3. "September 15 Primary Election FINAL AND COMPLETE ELECTION RESULTS". DC Board of Elections. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
4. "David Van Williams for Congress". DC Watch. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
5. "Mike Livingston for Shadow U.S. Representative". DC Watch. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
6. "Ballot Status History: D.C. Statehood Green Party". Green Party of the United States. Retrieved 26 January 2021.