Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s approval rating has fallen sharply in her third term as crime remains a concern for residents of the capital city.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted last month shows that 48% of the district’s residents disapprove of her job as mayor, compared to only 46% who approve of her job performance. The last time the survey was conducted, in February 2022, she had a 58% approval rating to 37% disapproval rating.
The pollster says the April 19-29 survey, which involved 655 residents of the district, is the first time her approval rating has fallen below a majority since taking office in 2015. Bowser was elected to a third term as mayor in 2022.
Among the troubles dogging Bowser are homelessness and crime. Crime in the district has made national headlines after several high-profile incidents, with two members of Congress being victims of crime within the District of Columbia last year. Bowser has said that early statistics for this year have indicated a downturn from the 2023 peak in criminal acts, with several options being pushed to improve the situation in Washington.
When asked how Bowser has handled the district’s key issues, she received poor marks from Washington residents. Of those surveyed, 76% believe she is doing a not-so-good to poor job addressing homelessness, while only 20% think she is doing an excellent or good job.
Homeless encampments remain a problem in Washington, but one of the larger encampments at McPherson Square, located only blocks from the White House, was cleared out by the National Park Service last year.
When asked about how Bowser is doing with reducing crime in the district, 72% said she is doing a not-so-good or poor job, and only 25% said she is doing an excellent or good job. On each extreme, 36% said she is doing a poor job, and only 3% said she is doing an excellent job.
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Bowser’s best issue, based on the polling data, was with improving downtown Washington. A majority, 55%, said that she is doing an excellent or good job, while 40% said she is doing a not-so-good or poor job with the matter.
The mayor dodged a bullet by getting Monumental Sports, the owner of the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards, to agree to a deal to remain at Capital One Arena after a deal for the teams to move to Virginia fell through.
