The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Ex-D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown ends congressional campaign

Brown, who was attempting a political comeback, said familial obligations would interfere with his campaign

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March 7, 2024 at 5:36 p.m. EST
Michael A. Brown, who served as an at-large D.C. Council member from 2009 to 2013, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in 2013. (Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post)
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Lobbyist and former D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown on Wednesday abruptly suspended his long-shot bid to become the city’s nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives, saying familial obligations in the coming weeks would interfere with his campaign.

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“After much reflection and consideration, I have come to realize continuing this campaign is not feasible for personal family reasons, that will require me to be absent from the District for extended periods during the campaign,” Brown said in a news release.

Brown served a single term as an at-large D.C. Council member from 2009 to 2013. He pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in 2013 and admitted in court that he took $55,000 in cash payments from undercover FBI investigators posing as representatives of a company trying to do business with the city.

Brown launched his attempt at a political comeback in late January, seeking to challenge longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in the June Democratic primary. He announced his departure from the race on the same day that candidates were required to turn in petition signatures to make it onto the ballot.

While several Democratic congressional delegate candidates, including Brown, picked up nominating petitions in January, the field as of Wednesday had winnowed down to two: Norton, who has held the seat since 1991, and Kelly Mikel Williams, a podcast host who has previously challenged Norton.