Two candidates will challenge incumbent Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) for the Democratic nomination in the June 16 primary election.
The DC Council consists of 13 members, including a Chairman, four at-large members and a representative from each of the District’s eight wards. Ward 6 is one of the seats up in 2026. The General Election takes place Nov. 3, 2026 when the winner of the Democratic Primary will be challenged by other candidates, possibly including an independent or the nominee from another party.
Incumbent Charles Allen has two challengers for the nomination: lawyer Michael Murphy (www.murphyforward6.com) and Philanthropy DMV CEO and former ANC 6A02 commissioner Gloria Nauden (www.gloriaforward6.com).
Charles Allen (www.charlesallen2026.com) is the current Councilmember for Ward 6, first elected in 2014. Over three terms, Allen has focused on housing production, public safety, transportation and support for small businesses, as well as constituent services across the ward. A parent of two DC Public School students, he has emphasized education, including early childhood literacy efforts such as his “Books from Birth” program, which has delivered millions of free books to families.
Allen has supported policies aimed at expanding affordable housing and sustaining neighborhood commercial corridors, alongside targeted regulatory changes and pandemic-era relief programs for small businesses. On public safety, his record combines enforcement and prevention, including support for the Council’s 2024 “Secure DC” legislation, investments in violence interruption and reentry programs, and measures to increase transparency around policing. He has also been a consistent advocate for transit funding and safer streets, including passage of the STEER Act addressing dangerous driving. Allen’s platform emphasizes education, public safety, affordability and the delivery of high-quality city services.
Michael Murphy (www.murphyforward6.com) is a Capitol Hill resident, consumer protection and whistleblower attorney and advocate for working families. His background includes work in labor and economic justice, which he traces to his upbringing in a unionized family business.
Murphy describes himself as a “second-career” attorney and has worked as a litigator at Bailey & Glasser LLP, leading class action lawsuits on behalf of consumers and workers. He has also served as Interim Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute and has done pro bono work for local organizations, including Two Rivers PCS and DC groups responding to immigration enforcement concerns. More recently, Murphy has positioned himself as a whistleblower on the District’s handling of public safety data.
His campaign centers on government accountability, transparency and system reform. Murphy has called for aligning crime data reporting, rebuilding police staffing and revisiting provisions of the Youth Rehabilitation Act. His platform also includes support for expanding housing near transit, streamlining permitting and improving government responsiveness to residents and businesses. He frames his candidacy as bringing “whistleblower’s tenacity” to oversight and budget decisions to ensure Ward 6 receives its share of city resources.
Gloria Nauden (www.gloriaforward6.com) is a longtime Ward 6 resident, former ANC 6A02 Commissioner and community advocate with experience in nonprofit, community development and government sectors. She has lived in the ward for more than 30 years and is a mother.
Nauden emphasizes economic vitality, affordability and neighborhood stability. She highlights her work supporting more than 1,000 small businesses and her involvement with District-based boards focused on youth development and local economic growth. Her platform calls for strengthening city services, addressing rising housing and living costs and investing in neighborhood commercial corridors.
On public safety, Nauden supports increasing police staffing while expanding prevention strategies such as youth programming, mentorship and community-based initiatives. She also emphasizes improvements to everyday quality of life, including safer streets, more reliable transit and accessible public spaces. Her campaign slogan, “Listen. Collaborate. Deliver.” reflects her focus on responsive, community-centered governance across neighborhoods from Capitol Hill to the Southwest Waterfront, Navy Yard and NoMa.
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com.
