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Karl Racine

Who will win the 2026 DC Democratic Mayoral Primary?

$141.5K

JUN 17, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

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Overview

Current roleFormer Attorney General

Age63 years old (Dec 14, 1962)

GenderMale

LocationDistrict of Columbia

BackgroundAttorney

EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1985)

Notable personal detailsKarl Anthony Racine is a Haitian-American attorney who served as the first independently elected Attorney General for the District of Columbia, holding the office from 2015 to 2023. Before entering elected office, he worked as a public defender and later built a private litigation practice, including serving as managing partner of Venable LLP. After leaving the D.C. attorney general’s office, he joined Hogan Lovells as a partner.

SourcesShow

en.wikipedia.org hlc.com naag.org dcbar.org carnegie.org law.virginia.edu oag.dc.gov de.wikipedia.org dccouncil.gov wikirank.net washingtonpost.com acludc.org americanbarfoundation.org ag.ny.gov grassley.senate.gov arxiv.org wtop.com wmal.com washingtoninformer.com washingtoncitypaper.com axios.com janeesefordc.com georgetowner.com nbcwashington.com washingtonian.com wamu.org facebook.com thedcline.org dc.citycast.fm dcrealtors.org x.com wikidata.org votesmart.org developer.ballotpedia.org legislation.ballotpedia.org justfacts.votesmart.org fr.wikipedia.org cdn.ballotpedia.org gillibrand.senate.gov judiciary.senate.gov congress.gov docs.house.gov govinfo.gov usc-cdn.house.gov finance.senate.gov moreno.senate.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

Economy & Taxes

Karl Racine has focused on increasing government revenue through enforcement and fiscal management (for example seeking authority to retain settlement funds and requesting a tax attorney position to recover additional revenues) and has requested increased budgets for his office tied to revenue generation. There is no clear evidence in these sources that he advocates for broad tax-rate increases or for major tax cuts; his documented actions emphasize enforcement, consumer restitution, and fiscal stewardship.

Healthcare

Supports protecting and expanding access to healthcare under existing federal programs and laws, defends abortion access in the District, and has used the Attorney General’s office to enforce consumer protections like hospital price-transparency. Positions emphasize defending the ACA’s coverage (including abortion coverage) and ensuring access to reproductive care in D.C.

Immigration & Border

Supports protecting asylum access and immigrant communities from aggressive enforcement, has acted to limit ICE enforcement effects in D.C., opposed federal rules that would restrict asylum, and provided local funding/support for migrants arriving in the District.

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Karl Racine has consistently defended and advocated for broad access to abortion and reproductive health care, has joined amici and lawsuits opposing restrictions and defunding of providers, and pledged to defend and strengthen abortion access in the District of Columbia. He has stated the Office of the Attorney General will protect clinics and patients and welcome those traveling from states with restrictive laws.

Climate & Energy

Karl Racine has used his office to pursue legal actions against major oil companies for misleading the public about climate harms and has joined multistate litigation opposing federal rollbacks of emissions limits. His record emphasizes holding fossil fuel companies accountable and supporting regulatory efforts to limit pollution and protect communities from climate impacts.

Public Safety & Guns

Karl Racine has pursued legal and regulatory actions to reduce the flow of illegal and untraceable firearms (ghost guns) into Washington, D.C., and has supported federal rules requiring serialization and background checks for weapon parts kits. He led or joined multi-state coalitions defending limits on large-capacity magazines and has framed these steps as commonsense gun-safety measures to improve public safety while using law-enforcement tools.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJul 15, 2026

Karl Racine is in the news as a Democratic candidate in the crowded race for D.C. mayor, with recent forums and community events focusing on how candidates would respond to President Trump and defend the city’s autonomy. The campaign has also been shaped by Trump’s projects and broader federal involvement in city affairs, which have become major issues in the primary. The June 16 primary is approaching, but the reports do not indicate a clear frontrunner or result yet.

en.wikipedia.org+45

Articles

WWJLA3 months ago