THE DC LATINO CAUCUS ENDORSEMENT PROCESS – 2026
The DC Latino Caucus (DCLC) will be endorsing candidates running in the Washington, DC 2026 Democratic Primary for the following offices:
US Delegate/House of Representatives
US Shadow Representative
US Shadow Senator
DC Attorney General
DC Council Chair
DC Council At-Large
DC Council Ward 1
DC Council Ward 3
DC Council Ward 5
DC Council Ward 6
Endorsements are made by the vote of active DCLC members and represent the candidates that they believe best represent the interests of the Latino community in DC.
Candidate Criteria for Endorsement
The DCLC is establishing a set of minimum criteria that candidates must meet in order to be considered eligible for endorsement:
Questionnaire: Each candidate must submit answers to a questionnaire on issues of importance to the DC Latino community no later than Friday February 27, 2026 at 5 pm. Answers will be posted publicly on our website.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW QUESTIONNAIRE
Fundraising: Each candidate must be registered, and have a campaign finance report on file, with the relevant office of campaign finance (local or federal). The March 10, 2026 or most recent report on file must show the following minimum, cumulative funds raised in contributions (including publicly matched funds):
City-wide races (US Delegate, Mayor, Shadow, At-Large Council, Council Chair, Attorney General): $50,000
Ward races: $15,000
Personal Appearance at Candidate Forums: DCLC will be hosting a forum for the following races: Mayor, Ward 1. Each candidate in the mayoral and Ward 1 races must make a personal appearance (no campaign surrogates permitted) at the DCLC forum to be held on Thursday March 26, 2026 at 6:00PM, Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage, 1816 12th St NW. .
Failure to meet these requirements will forfeit you from being eligible for endorsement.
Endorsement Process and How to Vote
The endorsement process will be conducted in accordance with current DCLC rules.
Who can vote: Only individuals who have paid annual dues (or received a waiver) in 2026 as of February 24 will be allowed to vote. Our rules require that member voters be registered at least 30 days before the endorsement vote. No exceptions will be made.
How to become a member/renew membership: Membership is open to any individual who supports the political participation and engagement of the Latino community in DC.
Endorsement meeting: following the candidate forums on March 26, DCLC will host a closed, members-only meeting to allow advocacy for individual candidates.
Voting: Voting will begin at the conclusion of the forum on March 26 and will be conducted on an online platform.
Endorsement threshold: Candidates must receive 51% of the vote to obtain endorsement. If no candidate receives that on the first round of voting, a second runoff vote will be held between the top two candidates to see if either one gets 51%. If not, then DCLC will issue “no endorsement” in that race.
Results will be announced the week of March 29.
Please reach out to information@dclc.org with any questions.