D.C. Democrats spent the week after their biggest election win in years fighting each other over a Council seat
A four-day scramble over Home Rule, party registration, and a 28-year-old placeholder ended with an uneasy peace, but the underlying law that caused the mess isn't going anywhere.
In brief
A win, then a war
The confetti was barely swept off the floor at Sycamore & Oak in Southeast Washington when D.C. Democrats started fighting among themselves. The dust hadn't even settled over Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George's victory and the national blue wave when local Democrats' attention shifted to a new battle: a vacant D.C. Council seat. What followed was four days of party registration switches, legal standoffs, and a 28-year-old placeholder, all triggered by a gap in a half-century-old city charter that nobody had thought to fix.
The resolution, announced Friday, is fragile. Council Chair Phil Mendelson announced Friday he would swear in Jamal Holtz, the D.C. Democrats' appointment to the at-large seat, next week. Holtz will take office on Tuesday, and says he plans to resign once the Democratic State Committee can evaluate a full slate of applicants for the interim appointment. So D.C. residents are about to get a Council member who intends to quit almost immediately after taking the oath. And the law that made the whole episode possible is still on the books.
How the Home Rule Charter created the problem
The legal tripwire goes back to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The dispute turns on two provisions of the District's Home Rule Charter. D.C. Code gives a departing at-large member's political party authority to appoint an interim replacement; another prohibits more than three at-large members, including the Council Chairman, from belonging to the same party.
Up until this week, the five at-large seats, which include the chairman, were made up of three Democrats and two independents. Robert White's resignation last Monday to clear his path to Congress left one of those at-large seats open. Under the charter, the Democratic Party had the right to pick his replacement. That should have been straightforward. It wasn't.
On Election Day itself, At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson announced she had submitted paperwork to rejoin the Democratic Party, a move that could complicate the appointment of an interim replacement for Robert White following his resignation. Henderson's switch would bring Democrats to that limit while White's seat remained vacant. With Henderson as the third Democrat, any additional Democratic appointee to fill White's seat would push the party above the statutory cap. That would challenge the Democratic party's authority to name the interim at-large councilmember, since only three of the five at-large seats on the council, including the chairman, can be held by members of the same political party.
The D.C. Democratic Party was not interested in a polite conversation about it. In a post last week, the party said it would come for anyone who tried to get around the process with "the full weight of its bylaws and the law." "Any attempt to circumvent this process is an attack on Home Rule itself, and we will treat it as one," the party wrote.
Who is Jamal Holtz?
The Democratic State Committee appointed Jamal Holtz as interim at-large councilmember Thursday and called for his immediate swearing-in. A fourth-generation Washingtonian and president of the D.C. Young Democrats, Holtz would fill the vacancy left by former Councilmember Robert White.
Holtz, 28, was elected president of D.C. Young Democrats in 2023. "The events of this week have required the DC Democratic Party to determine next steps with an urgency that they didn't seek," Holtz said in a statement. "Due to events beyond our control, we were required to fill the Council vacancy immediately." Holtz said he did not seek the position but accepted the party's nomination.
The honest framing: the party's leadership voted to appoint Holtz to White's old seat, but view him merely as a placeholder to preserve the party's appointment power. He intends to resign once the state committee can hold a full vote to pick someone else, according to one source familiar with the matter. Either way, once he is sworn in, the Democratic Party will have no legal authority to recall him or force him to resign. That's not a minor footnote. If Holtz changes his mind, he holds the seat.
On Monday, November 9 at 1 p.m. in the Council Chamber of the John A. Wilson Building, Holtz will be sworn in as an At-Large Member of the D.C. Council.
Henderson's reversal
The standoff ended when Henderson blinked. D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson became an independent with no party affiliation again, only three days after rejoining the Democratic Party. The councilmember revoked her Democratic Party affiliation in part over concerns that the Council was violating Home Rule.
Her own statement made clear she felt the process had been rigged against her. "Henderson said that D.C. Democrats made an interim appointment before her party registration switch was effective. 'Had I known that the regulations and precedence would not be followed, I would not have proceeded as I did,' Henderson said. Henderson finished her post by calling on Congress to repeal the 'outdated caps' on D.C.'s representation.
Her position has a logic to it. Henderson had been an independent throughout her whole tenure on D.C. Council and only changed her registration before she first ran because of a law stating that only three of the council's five at-large seats can be held by members of the same political party. She ran as an independent in 2020 not because she is ideologically one, but because a 1973 law required it. Henderson claims the fact that she had to switch to an independent in the first place is the true threat to Home Rule. "I've worked for Democratic candidates and elected officials up until the day I was sworn in as a member of the DC Council," Henderson wrote. "And my support has not waned over the last 6 years."
Stepping back from the convoluted controversy, Henderson's party switcheroo revived longstanding complaints about the fact that two of the council's at-large seats are set aside for minority parties. Those rules exist to prevent one-party domination. In a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly 10 to 1, they also force loyal Democrats to run without a party label to win a seat. The contradiction has been obvious for years. Nobody has fixed it.
What Home Rule actually says, and why it matters for residents
This is not abstract. The at-large seats are the only Council seats that every D.C. resident votes for, regardless of ward. Ward 1 voters in Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan already chose their new representative, Aparna Raj, the former Metro D.C. DSA chair, will represent Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights on the council. For the first time in decades, D.C.'s Ward 1 councilmember primary did not include an incumbent candidate. Raj won her general election race with 86 percent of the vote. But the at-large seat that Robert White vacated represents the whole city, and right now it will be held, briefly, by someone who didn't run for the job and says he doesn't plan to stay.
It was the kind of political drama that could, literally, only happen in D.C., home to one of America's youngest big-city governments and a unique charter that didn't anticipate the situation unfolding after Election Day.
The charter's minority-party provision was written to prevent a single party from controlling all five at-large seats. It was not written to handle a scenario where a Democrat wins the congressional delegate race, resigns from a Council seat he held as a Democrat, and a different Democrat immediately tries to fill the vacuum with her party registration. The law has no answer for that. So four days of improvisation filled the gap.
With the legal wrangling apparently over, Holtz's tenure may well be short. Holtz did not respond to questions about whether he would actually be a placeholder or try to remain as interim council member until the special election. A special election to fill the seat permanently will need to be scheduled, with timing governed by the D.C. Board of Elections.
The November 10 Council legislative meeting, already packed with business from the lame-duck session, will be Holtz's first day on the job, assuming the Monday swearing-in goes ahead as planned. The agenda for that meeting includes emergency action on the Madrone student housing revenue bonds project, a youth work permit bill, an Events DC financial clarification measure, and oversight reviews of the Department of Aging and Community Living, D.C. Human Resources, and the Executive Office of the Mayor. Holtz will walk into all of that, probably without a staff, an office fully set up, or a clear mandate, and then, if his word holds, walk back out.
The fix nobody made
Both Henderson and the D.C. Democratic Party are pointing fingers at a law passed by Congress in 1973. That is fair. But the Council and the D.C. Democratic Party had years to push for a charter amendment that would have modernized the at-large rules. Changing the charter language would likely require legislation passed by D.C. Council, ratification by voters in a referendum, and no congressional disapproval. That is a high bar, but it has been cleared before. Nobody prioritized it. This week's mess is at least partly the result of that inaction.
The political power struggle underscores the need to amend D.C.'s unique home rule laws, city leaders say. That statement, now appearing in headlines, has been true for a long time. The question is whether the embarrassment of watching a 28-year-old be sworn in as a seat-warmer, on the same week the city celebrated a historic mayoral election, finally gives someone the political will to do something about it.
What D.C. Residents Should Watch
Monday, November 9, 1 p.m., Wilson Building Council Chamber: Jamal Holtz's swearing-in. Watch whether he shows up with any indication of how long he actually plans to stay.
Tuesday, November 10, full Council legislative meeting: The first session at which Holtz will cast votes, on student housing bonds, agency oversight, and other lame-duck business, before the new mayor takes office in January.
Special election timing: The D.C. Board of Elections must set a date to fill the at-large seat permanently. Watch dcboe.org for a formal vacancy declaration, which starts the clock.
Holtz's resignation: If and when it comes, the Democratic State Committee will hold a full vote to pick a longer-term interim member. That process is not yet public, and no candidates have declared.
Charter reform pressure: Henderson has explicitly called on Congress to repeal the minority-party caps. Watch whether the Lewis George transition or the new Council majority makes that a legislative priority heading into 2027.
WDCM Editorial is the byline on news and feature stories produced through Washington DC Magazine's editorial process — AI-assisted research, reviewed and approved by Editor-in-Chief Rod Wright.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
