Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser’s new approval ratings dropped to the lowest point in her nine-year tenure as homelessness, crime, and other issues trouble residents.
Forty-six percent of 655 D.C. residents said they approve of Bowser’s job performance, according to a Washington Post–Schar School poll conducted last month, marking a significant decrease from her 58 percent approval two years ago and 67 percent high in 2019 and 2017. Negative perceptions of the Democratic mayor are also notable, with 48 percent disapproving of her job performance — up from her 37 percent disapproval in 2022 and 19 percent low in 2017.
Of those surveyed, the vast majority of D.C. residents said Bowser is doing a not-so-good or poor job in addressing homelessness (76 percent), reducing crime (72 percent), and creating and maintaining affordable housing (69 percent).
Despite the D.C. government’s recent efforts to clear out homeless-encampment sites, homelessness remains a major problem in the nation’s capital. On Monday, the D.C. Human Services Department announced that homelessness rose 14 percent from 2023 to 2024.
Crime also skyrocketed last year, which saw the highest murder rate in the District since 1997, with 274 recorded homicides. The historic spike caused the D.C. Council in March to pass a sweeping public-safety bill, which was signed into law shortly thereafter. Despite the approved legislation, residents gave the mayor negative marks when asked about her office’s actions to crack down on crime.
Roughly two-thirds said the crime problem in the city is either extremely serious or very serious, while 30 percent considered the worrying trend to be moderately serious.
Bowser’s low ratings for affordable housing comes as she approaches her 2025 goal to create 36,000 new housing units.
D.C. residents are also growing increasingly critical of Bowser’s job performance regarding such issues as making city streets safer for walkers, bikers, and drivers and improving the public-school system.
By contrast, Bowser’s efforts to improve downtown D.C., especially her involvement in the $515 million deal to keep the Capital One Arena in Chinatown from moving to Alexandria, Va., were viewed positively among respondents.
Hours after the poll was published Monday, Bowser said she had not fully reviewed its findings yet. “We always work hard regardless of what polls say to deliver for the people of the District of Columbia,” she said at a press conference.