Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha has a lot on her plate as she starts her one-year term. She’s looking to make child care more affordable, housing more obtainable, and the county safer. The council’s new leader will try to do all of this while navigating a growing budget gap. Chair Oriadha joined Kojo and Tom to discuss her priorities and whether data centers could be an answer to the county’s money challenges.

2025 was certainly an eventful year in national and local politics. We were joined for the last Politics Hour of the year by WAMU’s Regional Politics reporters Jenny Abamu, Margaret Barthel, and Alex Koma to talk about the year’s top stories and what’s ahead in 2026.

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced late last month she would not be running for a fourth term, bringing to a close one of the longest mayoral tenures in the city's history. From guiding the District through a series of crises to bringing the football team home, Mayor Bowser has led D.C. through profound change.

Mayor Bowser joined the show to explain her decision not to run for reelection, her legacy, and what's next. Plus, who might she support to be the District's next Mayor? Also, D.C. police chief Pamela Smith is stepping down. We asked Mayor Bowser who is on the short list to be the District's interim police chief.

Sorting political fact from fiction, and having fun while we’re at it. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia at 12 p.m. on Friday.

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After months of weighing the decision, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last month she would not run for a fourth term. Immediately, attention turned to who might jump into the race to replace her. The first major candidate to declare was Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George. She joined us to discuss her campaign rollout.

Lewis George said as a Democratic socialist, she is focused on affordability, income equality, and defending District residents, including from a federal takeover of the city, something President Trump has threatened on multiple occasions. Lewis George talked about what she sees as her role should she be elected.

"I wanna be clear that the job of the mayor is to protect and defend its residents, and we take an oath as public officials to defend the constitution as well," she said.

Asked about working with President Trump, Lewis George said she’d work with anyone willing to make the city more affordable and safer for District residents. Plus, we asked Lewis George about the Council's decision to extend a stricter youth curfew, adopt ranked-choice voting, and assist restaurants with their streateries.

Montgomery County has a new council president. Natali Fani-González got behind the mic to discuss her journey from undocumented immigrant to lawmaker for Maryland's wealthiest and most populous county. Plus, she explained the TRUST Act. The legislation bans county cooperation with federal immigration authorities without a warrant and restricts ICE access to county facilities.

Fani-González said she’s not worried about attracting attention from federal authorities.

"Yes, we're going through a crisis, but this is not a time to hide," the Montgomery County Council President said. "This is the time when you stand up and you fight for what's for justice and fighting for due process."

She says it's important that the community feels safe calling local police.

Sorting political fact from fiction, and having fun while we’re at it. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia at 12 p.m. on Friday.

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We took the Politics Hour on the road this week, broadcasting live from Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia.

U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) joined Kojo and Tom first on stage.

With elections and the government shutdown in the rearview mirror, we turned to what the future holds for the commonwealth. Federal cuts continue to affect Northern Virginia's economy, but perhaps not in the way some initially feared. As Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger prepares to take office in January, many Virginia Democrats believe the party's big wins in statewide elections should translate to an aggressive legislative agenda. Statewide leaders are also moving forward with redistricting. Rep. Walkinshaw discussed what all of this means for Virginia's future, including the 2026 midterms.

Then, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and member of Gov.-elect Spanberger's transition team Republican David Ramadan took the mic to talk about the challenges Spanberger could face as governor, why a Democrat election sweep does not mean a mandate, and the legislative debates we can expect in 2026.

Sorting political fact from fiction, and having fun while we’re at it. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia live at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax!

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Congress voted on Wednesday to end the longest federal shutdown in the nation's history. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine joined a handful of Democrats to broker a deal with Senate Republicans. The deal included reversing some federal layoffs and guaranteeing payment for furloughed workers.

What it did not include was an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, a provision many Democrats insisted Republicans needed to add before they'd approve a funding bill. Sen. Kaine joined the show to explain why he voted to end the shutdown, despite pushback from many in his own party.

Kain said on the Politics Hour that there was no path forward on healthcare subsidies without reopening the government. He said he voted only after securing federal worker protections from the White House, including back pay, rehiring workers who were fired during the shutdown, and an end to mass layoffs.

"I'm getting some holy hell, but I'm getting a lot of thanks from Virginians," the Senator said. "There were bad options, and so I have no judgment about anybody who resolved this question differently than me."

He also said he’s optimistic about a December vote to extend healthcare subsidies, given the growing pressure on Congress to come up with a fix.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who represents one of the largest number of federal workers in the country, voted against the deal. Sen. Van Hollen took the mic to explain why he believes the funding agreement won't address rising healthcare costs and will continue to allow President Trump to ignore the law.

Sen. Van Hollen also voiced his support for Maryland Governor Wes Moore's redistricting efforts.

"I believe we should have national nonpartisan line drawing, but Republicans tried to tip the playing field in Texas, and Maryland should maximize its opportunity to protect our Democracy and the Constitution in redistricting," Senator Van Hollen said.

Politicos are speculating that At-Large D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is considering a run for mayor. With D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser still undecided about running for a fourth term, he's among several potential candidates reportedly weighing runs of their own.

Councilmember McDuffie also commented on D.C. residents raising questions after recent incidents where D.C. police have collaborated with federal immigration agents. He said the ICE raids need to stop. "There's no deal that I would sign that would permit our law enforcement to work with ICE, and I would want to be unequivocal about that," he said.

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Virginia Democrats had a big night in Tuesday's elections, sweeping all the statewide races and winning a supermajority in the House of Delegates. We broke down the historic election from all angles. We dove into the results with WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter, Margaret Barthel, and David Poole, founder of the Virginia Public Access Project.

We were then joined by one of the big winners, Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi, to discuss what it means for Virginians and her historic election victory as the first Muslim woman to win statewide office in the U.S.

During the campaign, Hashmi dealt with comments about her background, including from her Republican opponent, John Reid, who suggested she was supported by "radical Islamists." Hashmi said voters made clear they disagreed with that rhetoric.

"It was Virginians who made their choice known, and the ugliness of the bigotry that my opponent was targeting me with was soundly rejected on Tuesday night," she said.

Hashmi said that, as Lieutenant Governor, she plans to focus on housing affordability, energy concerns, and healthcare.

Finally, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell took the mic to discuss what the Democrats' "trifecta" means for governing, constitutional amendments, and the much-discussed redistricting plan. He cautioned that Democrats will need to navigate significant budget challenges, which could hamper the party's agenda.

"A lot of these new policies require money in order to implement," he said. "And given our budget situation, we're gonna have to figure out what we can afford and what we can prioritize."

At the top of the agenda when the General Assembly reconvenes in January will be raising the minimum wage, banning assault weapons, and paid family leave.

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All eyes are on Virginia ahead of next week's statewide elections. Recent polls continue to show Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, while both the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General races are in virtual dead heats. We previewed Virginia's upcoming elections with WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter Margaret Barthel and former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).

A split ticket remains a possibility, said Davis, meaning that members of different parties could be elected to the three statewide offices. "Divided government can work very well when you have adults at the helm," he said. "When you don't, it just makes gridlock even worse."

Plus, we discussed Virginia Democrats' push for redistricting.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore is also considering supporting plans to redraw Maryland's eight congressional districts, but some Democratic leaders are considering blocking the move. House Majority Leader David Moon (D-MD), who represents Montgomery County, joined the show to discuss why he also supports redistricting efforts.

On late Friday afternoon, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration must continue to fund SNAP benefits during the shutdown, giving the administration a deadline of Monday to respond. In the meantime, states like Maryland have been debating how to help those who could lose food assistance starting Saturday.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced Thursday he’s allocating $10 million in state funds to local food banks. But many Maryland lawmakers wanted the governor to do more, including stepping in to fully fund federal SNAP benefits. Del. Moon said leadership is considering tapping into the state’s rainy day fund.

“To get people through Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, I think that's really the question, whether we can do a little bit more to at least keep some of the benefits,” he said.

Moon said funding uninterrupted food assistance would cost Maryland $130 million per month.

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Montgomery County is home to more than 50,000 federal workers and numerous federal agencies, so residents are feeling the impact of the weeks-long shutdown. Plus, the possibility remains for tens of thousands of federal employees to be fired as the shutdown continues. Local officials are sounding the alarm on rising rates of homelessness and longer lines at food banks. Council President Kate Stewart joined the show to discuss how the county is managing the crisis. She also weighed in on the Council's upheaval and Maryland lawmakers considering calling a special session of the General Assembly to redraw the state's congressional districts.

This follows Republican-led redistricting efforts around the country, triggering similar efforts by Democrats, including in Virginia. Stewart said redistricting could flip Maryland’s lone Republican seat in Congress. It’s currently held by the leader of the House Freedom Caucus, Andy Harris.

“We do need to get rid of Andy Harris. As someone who lives in the state of Maryland," she said. "Quite frankly, he does not represent the values of Maryland, and we need somebody else.”

The D.C. Council voted this week to roll back tenant rights for some renters in the city. Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau got behind the mic to explain why she thinks this was a bad idea. Plus, we ask Nadeau about her decision not to run for reelection and her "bottle bill."

The measure, introduced earlier this year, would add a ten-cent deposit to the price of most beverage containers while creating a system for people to get the deposit back when they return the empty bottles. Nadeau said fees from the big beverage companies would fund the system.

"It's all about getting litter up, and everybody hates litter. You know, this is the most effective way to cut litter off our streets, off our out of our parks, out of our rivers," she said.

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