Two rivals in the crowded Ward 1 D.C. Council Democratic primary have decided it is better to join forces than to swing at each other. On Thursday, five-term ANC commissioner Rashida Brown and ANC chair Miguel Trindade Deramo said they will formally cross-endorse, urging their supporters to rank the other as a second choice under the city's new ranked-choice voting system. The move is an early test of how RCV might scramble campaign tactics in a ward that stretches from Mount Pleasant to U Street.
Brown And Deramo’s Pitch To Voters
Brown has been direct with her supporters: "I would love for you to rank me one and Miguel two." Trindade Deramo is giving the same kind of ask in reverse, telling voters to put him first and Brown second. As reported by WUSA9, both candidates are framing the pact as a way to pool support rather than undercut each other, stressing that their platforms overlap heavily on tenant protections and immigrant services. In a five-way primary where early elimination is a real threat, they argue that a mutual second-choice strategy is simply a practical insurance policy.
A Strategy Built For Ranked Choice
Campaigns across the city see RCV as a nudge toward coalition building instead of all-out negative campaigning, and Brown and Trindade Deramo are leaning into that. City Cast DC reported that the pair plans a joint video rollout to walk voters through exactly how to rank them on the ballot, and Brown has described the arrangement as a "synergy" between their campaigns. The playbook mirrors tactics from other RCV races, where allied candidates try to stack up second-choice votes so they can survive the early cut rounds instead of knocking each other out.
How RCV Rewrites The Math
Under D.C.'s new rules, voters in eligible contests can rank up to five candidates. If no one wins a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated and those ballots are transferred to the next ranked candidate. That sequence repeats until someone clears 50 percent, according to the District of Columbia Board of Elections. In a crowded ward primary, a coordinated bloc of second-choice support can end up doing a lot of the heavy lifting. To help residents get used to it before June's vote, the Board of Elections offers an interactive sample ballot that lets voters practice ranking candidates.
Rivals And The Frontrunner Push Back
Not everyone is cheering the Brown and Trindade Deramo alliance. Jackie Reyes‑Yanes has warned that cross-endorsements risk adding "another layer of complexity" for voters who are still figuring out how RCV works, and Terry Lynch has called it a very competitive race, according to WUSA9. At the same time, Greater Greater Washington has urged Ward 1 voters to rank Aparna Raj first in its primary guide and has spotlighted her long list of organizational backers. That backdrop is a reminder that the Brown-Trindade Deramo mutual-ranking pact still has to contend with a rival who appears to have an edge in fundraising and coalition building on the ground.
What To Watch Next
All eyes turn to the June 16 primary, which will be the first real test of whether this strategy works. If Brown or Trindade Deramo are knocked out in the early rounds, the big question is whether their supporters will reliably transfer to the other and push that candidate toward a majority. Election officials note that RCV tabulations are not final until all eligible ballots are counted, and the Board of Elections sample ballot is already available for residents who want to practice ranking. Campaigns, for their part, say the next few weeks will be all about teaching voters how the system works and turning friendly cross-endorsements into actual votes.
