2006 Washington, D.C. Mayoral Election Nader vs Buchanan

The 2006 Washington, D.C. mayoral election was held on November 7, 2006, to determine who would succeed mayor Anthony A. Williams, who declined to seek a third term. Following a contentious primary, the Democratic Party decided not to nominate a candidate, and instead supported DC Statehood Green nominee, consumer advocate, and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader. In a divided Republican primary field, paleoconservative commentator and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan prevailed, with 29 percent. Both candidates appearing on the ballot had previously stood as third-party candidates in the 2000 United States presidential election, with Nader having run as the Green Party nominee, and Buchanan having run as the Reform Party nominee. In that election, Nader received 5.2 percent of the vote in the District, while Buchanan failed to qualify for the DC ballot.

In the general election, Nader and Buchanan each worked to unify divided parties. Republican officials in the District refused to support Buchanan, however, and most corporations rescinded their support after poor optics. Nader received the support of most Democratic leaders in the state, and he consolidated support by highlighting Buchanan's past controversial comments and policy positions. Nader ultimately received close to 94 percent of the vote against Buchanan's 3.2 percent, with 3 percent going to assorted write-in candidates.

Cancelled Democratic primary
Initially, several high-profile Democrats indicated their interest in seeking the mayoral nomination, including Ward 4 council member Adrian Fenty, council chair Linda Cropp, Ward 5 council member Vincent Orange, and Verizon CEO Marie Johns. Fenty and Cropp were regarded as the frontrunners, and through 2005 and early 2006 were neck-and-neck in polling and fundraising. The campaign took on a negative tone, and party officials began to raise doubts about whether any candidate would be able to unite the party. After Nader's entry into the race in March 2006, several Democratic officials either endorsed him or gave him a conditional endorsement, stating they would back him if their preferred candidate lost the Democratic primary.

Party officials debated how to handle the intraparty conflict, fearing that a split left-leaning vote in the general election could lead to a Republican victory. They also worried that whichever leading candidate lost the primary would mount a write-in campaign in the general election. As some polling showed Nader performing impressively in a three-way race, the party grew more anxious that they could lose the race.

Campaign
Initially, pundits speculated that the Buchanan campaign could mount a competitive campaign, given that many Democrats still blamed Nader for throwing the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. Buchanan also hoped to draw independent and Democratic support, given his criticisms of Bush, and the fact that the magazine he co-founded, The American Conservative, openly rooted for Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections. Some internal polling showed Buchanan drawing up to 20 percent of the vote to Nader's 46 percent, with a third of voters undecided (and Buchanan more than doubling Bush's vote share from two years earlier).

However, Buchanan struggled to raise funds and to secure the backing of local Republicans. Republican council member Carol Schwartz and Republican-turned-independent council member David Catania both declined to endorse Buchanan, with Catania going so far as to endorse Nader. The DC Republican Party refused to give his campaign any money, and given national Republicans' fundraising struggles during the second Bush midterm, Buchanan drew few campaign donations. Buchanan centered his general election campaign on fighting crime, but given past comments that were regarded as race-baiting, his messaging failed to attract many voters. A handful of corporations, fearful of Nader's proposed tax policies, briefly supported Buchanan and contributed campaign funds, but after widespread public backlash, most rescinded their backing. Buchanan further refused to directly criticize Nader's tax plans, further alienating the business community.

The Nader campaign drew a large network of grassroots donations, as well as setting up community-based outreach programs to convince Democratic voters to turn out against Buchanan. The Nader campaign sent out mailers showing Buchanan's controversial past comments, including his calls for lynching the Central Park Five suspects, and comments that appeared to praise D.C. during racial segregation. Following these attacks, Buchanan's support plummeted.

Results
Nader won the election by a landslide, receiving over 90 percent of the vote and securing at least 80 percent in each ward. Turnout was highest in predominantly African-American and working-class precincts, while it was lowest in affluent white precincts. Some pundits speculated that right-leaning voters, rather than voting for Buchanan, simply stayed at home to signal discontent with both candidates.

Assorted write-in candidates attempted to appeal to Democratic and right-leaning voters, but they failed to gain traction. A total of 3 percent of all ballots cast went to over a dozen independents, with none receiving over 0.5 percent.