THE ONLY CANDIDATE REFUSING DONATIONS, TAKING $0. “UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED,” LIKE SHIRLEY CHISHOLM. A PLATFORM BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE OF DC. SHARE CAMPAIGN FLYER. JOIN TEAM KHAN
📣 On November 3, Vote For Khan. He is the ONLY mayoral candidate taking $0 in donations. He is also the only candidate who has a plan to ABOLISH all DC taxes and yet fully fund the most ambitious agenda in DC’s history. Join Team Khan, and help transform DC into the ultimate Dream City.
As Mayor of Washington, DC, Khan will end 225 years of undemocratic taxation without representation by abolishing DC’s local income, property, and sales taxes—and replacing them with something no American city has ever attempted: a “Global HQ Membership Program” model that fully funds the District by making it the world’s best place to build, innovate, and operate. We are building the world’s first Dream City. Instead of taxing residents into affordability crisis and fiscal strain, Khan’s blueprint will leverage DC’s unique constitutional position to end local DC taxes and attract thousands of domestic and international companies paying membership fees to access unmatched proximity to the White House, Congress, embassies, and global decision-makers. Subsequent job creation and economic growth will result in massive revenues both for DC and for the federal government, giving Congress skin in the game to ensure Khan’s plan succeeds. With a $30 billion projected annual revenue engine for DC (courtesy a NEW revenue sharing plan with the federal government), Khan will get to work on closing the shameful 17- year life expectancy gap between affluent neighborhoods and Wards 7 and 8, a key driver of dissatisfaction and crime. He will build 200,000 permanently affordable homes with rents capped at $900 per month, offer 36 weeks of paid parental leave, universal, no-cost childcare, and make buses and 24/7 Metro free, ensuring Washington is not only fully funded without new taxes, but also genuinely safe, stable, and affordable both for companies relocating here and for working families. The budget surpluses generated will be deposited into a newly created DC Sovereign Wealth Fund. The fund will be owned by the people of Washington and managed with a long-term investment strategy designed to generate steady and permanent wealth for future generations of Washingtonians. Instead of allowing surpluses to disappear into short-term spending, Washington DC will create a self-sustaining source of revenue for decades to come. It is a rare, win-win pan-political design that turns a historic injustice into a global engine for prosperity: libertarians get a tax-free city, conservatives get growth and enterprise, progressives get massive social investment, the federal government gets new revenue to help pay down the exploding national debt, and everyone gets a functioning affordability solution for DC that doesn’t pretend austerity is a plan.
Join Team Khan, and help transform DC into the ultimate Dream City.
Washington, DC stands at a crossroads.
We can continue down the path of rising costs, growing inequality, population stagnation, public frustration, and endless political gridlock.
Or we can choose something entirely different.
Khan is running for Mayor as an Independent because he believes the biggest challenges facing Washington are not Democratic problems or Republican problems. They are engineering problems. Economic problems. Incentive problems. Human problems.
And they require solutions that bring people together instead of dividing them.
Khan takes $0 in campaign donations.
He is not funded by corporations, PACs, lobbyists, developers, unions, or political machines.
Like Shirley Chisholm, he is committed to being truly “Unbought and Unbossed.”
His loyalty belongs to one group only: the people of Washington, DC.
Khan is not a politician.
He is an engineer.
He approaches problem-solving through a systems-thinking lens—studying how incentives, feedback loops, constraints, and alignments shape outcomes over time. Instead of managing symptoms, he focuses on redesigning systems so that better outcomes become the natural result of how the system itself is built.
Khan is not asking residents to choose between economic growth and social justice.
He is not asking voters to choose between business success and worker prosperity.
He is not asking Washington to choose between fiscal responsibility and bold investment.
His entire platform is built around a simple principle:
When incentives are designed correctly, everyone wins.
That is why Khan’s vision has something for libertarians, conservatives, independents, moderates, and progressives alike.
Libertarians should appreciate a city that eliminates local taxes, reduces bureaucratic barriers, rewards innovation, and unleashes entrepreneurship.
Republicans should appreciate a plan centered on economic growth, business formation, private investment, job creation, fiscal self-sufficiency, and reducing dependence on traditional taxation.
Democrats should appreciate a plan that dramatically expands affordable housing, raises wages, invests in education, strengthens families, reduces inequality, and creates unprecedented economic mobility.
Khan believes Washington can become proof that economic freedom and social progress are not opposites—they are partners.
Today, the relationship between Washington and the federal government is fundamentally broken.
For generations, DC has been forced into a position where the city and the federal government often operate at odds with one another.
Khan intends to flip that relationship on its head.
His plan gives the federal government real skin in the game in Washington’s success.
Instead of viewing DC as a cost center, Congress and federal policymakers would have a direct economic incentive to help the city thrive because a booming Washington would generate billions of dollars in new federal revenues through the businesses, jobs, investments, and economic activity created here.
When DC wins, America wins.
That alignment changes everything.
No city on Earth possesses Washington’s unique advantages.
The District is home to nearly 180 embassies and diplomatic missions.
It is the seat of American political power.
It is where global leaders, policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, media organizations, and decision-makers converge every day.
Khan plans to leverage these unparalleled assets to attract the world’s most innovative companies, creators, researchers, designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and investors.
For international businesses, establishing a presence in Washington offers something no other city can provide: direct access to the world’s most influential policy ecosystem, unmatched global visibility, extraordinary brand-building opportunities, real-time market testing, and proximity to the White House, Congress, federal agencies, governors, mayors, regulators, and leaders from around the world.
Under Khan’s leadership, Washington will not simply compete with New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Singapore, Dubai, or other global hubs.
It will define an entirely new category.
Khan believes this model will create 100,000+ new jobs paying $50+/hour and generate approximately $30 billion annually while making Washington the most attractive city in America for workers, entrepreneurs, investors, startups, and established firms.
The beauty of the model is that everyone benefits.
Businesses gain a tax-free environment and a world-class innovation ecosystem.
Workers keep more of every paycheck.
Families gain greater financial security.
Investors gain access to one of the most strategically valuable locations on Earth.
The federal government gains billions in new economic activity and revenue.
And thanks to a new revenue sharing partnership with the federal government, the city gains the resources necessary to invest aggressively in its people.
Khan plans to use those resources to create the most ambitious quality-of-life agenda in America.
His administration will pursue a $30 per hour minimum wage for workers employed by firms with more than 500 employees and in high-margin sectors, and a $50 per hour minimum wage for essential professions including construction workers, sanitation workers, transit operators, childcare providers, healthcare workers, elder-care professionals, and other critical occupations needed to build and sustain a world-class city.
He will invest heavily in families through 36 weeks of paid parental leave and universal no-cost childcare.
He will make buses and Metro operate free and run 24 hours.
He will establish nonprofit grocery stores and neighborhood wellness resources throughout the city.
He will build 200,000 permanently affordable homes and ensure that working families earning less than $100,000 annually—as well as essential workers such as teachers, construction workers, healthcare workers, childcare providers, and elder-care assistants—can access housing with rents capped at $900 for one-bedroom homes and $1,500 for three-bedroom homes.
Khan also believes that education is the most powerful long-term anti-poverty and public safety strategy available.
That is why he proposes raising teacher base pay to $100,000 per year.
He also proposes providing students in grades 6 through 12 with a $25-per-day attendance stipend.
This is not merely an education policy.
It is a public safety strategy.
It is a workforce development strategy.
It is an anti-poverty strategy.
Khan believes that when students are rewarded for showing up, engaging, learning, and preparing for their future, absenteeism falls, graduation rates rise, and entire communities become stronger.
With chronic absenteeism remaining a major challenge in many schools, he believes Washington cannot afford to lose another generation of talent.
Most importantly, Khan sees an opportunity that few others recognize.
For decades, Washington has educated extraordinary young people only to watch them leave.
The city’s brightest artists move to New York.
Its most ambitious filmmakers move to Los Angeles.
Its best entrepreneurs move to Silicon Valley.
Its innovators often feel they must leave Washington to realize their dreams.
Khan wants to reverse that flow.
He believes Washington can become home to the next Broadway.
The next Hollywood.
The next Silicon Valley.
The next global center for design, fashion, media, technology, entertainment, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and creative enterprise.
His goal is not simply to attract outside investment.
It is to unlock the extraordinary talent that already exists in Washington.
To give young people reasons to stay.
To give entrepreneurs reasons to build.
To give artists reasons to create.
To give families reasons to put down roots.
And to give every resident a genuine stake in the city’s future.
Today, Washington suffers from profound disparities, including a nearly 17-year life expectancy gap and roughly a $200,000 household income divide between some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods and residents in Wards 7 and 8.
Khan believes these disparities are not the result of a lack of talent.
They are the result of a lack of opportunity.
His mission is to change that.
Through growth.
Through abundance.
Through innovation.
Through housing.
Through education.
Through higher wages.
Through smarter incentives.
Through economic systems that reward contribution rather than scarcity.
This is not a left-wing vision.
It is not a right-wing vision.
It is a future-focused systems-design vision.
A vision that asks a simple question:
What if Washington stopped settling for being merely the seat of government and became the most innovative, prosperous, creative, equitable, and opportunity-rich city in the world?
Khan believes that future is within reach.
But it will require courage to challenge assumptions and reject the false choices that have held the city back for generations.
Washington deserves more than politics as usual.
It deserves an engineer’s blueprint for greatness.
And Khan is running to build it.
📣 Khan is the ONLY mayoral candidate taking $0 in donations.
Every other candidate is bankrolled by the same wealthy folks who want to profit from the 81-to-1 wealth gap while squeezing hard working, long term residents of DC out. Khan is the only one who is “UNBOSSED AND UNBOUGHT” — the only one who will abolish DC taxes, build 200,000 new permanently affordable homes with rents and mortgages capped to $900/mo, and raise the minimum wage to $30/hour. Khan will fight for free buses, 24/7 Metro, 36 weeks of paid parental leave and no-cost childcare, and invest $10 billion in our youth — all without raising new taxes — in fact, he will CANCEL ALL DC taxes!
Sign up now to get Khan’s on the ballot for November 3 elections!
On November 3, Vote For Khan’s Bold, Dream City Platform For Washington DC
Independent candidate for DC Mayor, Nadeem Adam Khan, an engineer, is the first mayoral candidate in Washington, DC history to run a $0 donation campaign. As Mayor of DC, Khan will:
Close the shameful 17-year life expectancy gap between affluent wards and Wards 7 & 8 and reduce crime by 90%
Abolish ALL DC taxes (property, income, sales) — end 225 years of undemocratic taxation without representation — transform DC into the world’s best tax-free economic zone, attract massive global investment, generate $30 billion/year, and create $150,000/year in new value for the typical DC family by delivering:
200,000 new, architecturally stunning, affordable homes with rents and mortgages capped at $900 for one-bedroom units, $1500 for three-bedroom homes
36 weeks of paid parental leave with full job protections
Universal no-cost childcare
100,000+ new jobs paying $50+/hour
No-fare/$0 DC transit: Free buses and Metro operating 24/7
Nonprofit bodega-style grocery stores within a 5-minute walk of every home
$100,000 teacher base pay to attract the best educators, and reduce turnover from 25% to <5%
$25/day student stipend (Grades 6-12) to reduce absenteeism from 70% to <5%
$5 billion investment in creative communities to help launch the next Silicon Valley, Broadway, and Hollywood in DC
Khan on Instagram (TikTok)
Khan For Mayor of Washington DC: Because affordable rent and safety in every ward aren’t “monumental” asks
Over a year ago, when Khan decided to run for Mayor of Washington, DC, he didn’t reach for a high-priced consultant; he grabbed his car keys. By driving for a rideshare app called Empower (which Mayor Bowser has attempted to ban in DC), Khan turned his vehicle into a rolling town hall, witnessing the 'Tale of Two Cities' unfold through his windshield.
While his rivals collected massive checks from wealthy donors, Khan—an engineer with a reputation for crafting elegant solutions to complex problems—put himself on the front lines. He navigated through crumbling infrastructure and 'snowcrete' slabs in Wards 7 and 8, learning firsthand why no neighbor should ever need three bus transfers just to find a fresh apple, a quality hospital, or a safe space for their toddler. His platform wasn’t written in a boardroom; it was written by the people whose struggles he witnessed every single day.
As a two-decade DC resident, Khan isn't just aware of our city’s gruesome statistics; he has clocked the mileage on them. He knows that an eight-mile trip from Georgetown to Anacostia is a journey that costs residents 17 years of life expectancy and nearly $170,000 in annual earnings. Even the two-mile crossing from Capitol Hill to Anacostia comes with a $150,000 earnings drop and 10 fewer years of life expectancy.
Khan knows 'The District' cannot thrive as a Dickensian struggle for some and a gold rush for others. He isn’t running to politely 'bridge' the gap; he’s running to pave it over with $900 rents, $100K teacher salaries, free 24/7 buses and Metro, and non-profit grocery stores in every neighborhood.
With the AI revolution threatening to decimate our most vulnerable communities, we need a Mayor who favors hard metrics over vague promises. A Mayor who understands that a 17-year life expectancy gap isn't just a Ward 7 and 8 problem—it’s a District-wide failure. We are moving past the 'Tale of Two Cities' to build one united, thriving capital, rooted in the engineering truth that injustice in any ward is a structural threat to the entire city.
Khan’s '100% Plan' hits the warp speed button for real change: (Download the flyer and share!)
Real Housing Affordability: Deliver 100,000 new housing units with rents and mortgages capped at $900 for 1-bedrooms and $1,500 for 3-bedrooms, so no one has to choose between a roof and groceries or prenatal care.
Family First Guarantee: Establish 36 weeks of paid parental leave with FULL job protections and guaranteed, universal, no-cost childcare.
The $100K Teacher and Student Payday: Set teacher starting salaries at $100,000 and provide $25/day stipend to EVERY public and charter school student in grades 6-12. We will reduce teacher turnover to 5% from 25% (national average is 16%) and slash chronic high school absenteeism to 10% from 70% (national average is 24%): It’s time to value educators and students as much as the lobbyists on K Street.
Abolish Health Apartheid: Non-profit grocery stores serving low-cost, high quality, and natural nourishment that doesn’t cost a whole paycheck and FREE fitness centers within a five-minute walk in every Ward.
Environmental Detox: Replace ALL lead water pipes. Aggressively fight the toxic pollution in underserved Wards that fuels the obesity crisis, spikes stress levels, and is linked to higher crime rates, cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Brain Power for Schools: End the 'nutrition gap' by fortifying school meals with Zinc, Tryptophan, fiber, and Omega-3s. When our kids are nourished, absenteeism drops and public safety rises.
The $25 billion DC AID Initiative: USAID-style revitalization effort to fast-track development of Wards 7 & 8,
The $10 billion AI shield: Upskill and shockproof DC’s most vulnerable communities and ensure workers are the owners and architects of the new AI and automated economy, not just its displaced observers. We will also ban algorithmic wage discrimination.
$50/Hour Minimum Wage: We will raise the pay for jobs that require physical presence, emotional intelligence, and complex manual dexterity that algorithms cannot effectively replicate: Construction, Plumbing, Electrical, Sanitation, Personal Care, Childcare, Snow Removal, Housekeeping, Security.
The $5 Billion Creative Engine: Invest $5 billion in nurturing those who define DC’s soul—artists, writers, engineers, designers. We will build the next Broadway, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Louis Vuitton, and Goyard right here in DC.
Total Mobility: 24/7 Metro + electrified buses that can fit our narrow streets. Streets cleared of snow within 24 hours, thanks to a new $50/hour emergency pay plan for snow shovelers. No more “snowcrete”!
Equitable Traffic Enforcement: Remove unnecessary speed cameras and cap speeding and parking fines to $15, and eliminate predatory double fining.
Gold Standard Infrastructure: Pothole-free roads, and enhanced pedestrian and cyclist safety measures that reduce fatality rate by 50%, because getting to work shouldn't feel like an Olympic endurance competition.
Better Mental Health For All: Expand access to care and reduce opioid overdose death rates and suicide rates by 75%.
For too many, DC is descending into a 'soulless playground' for the 1%. As Mayor, Khan will transform DC into the ultimate Dream City for the 100%. We will be safer than Doha, more high-tech than Shenzhen, and more creative than Tokyo, Paris, London, and New York. By empowering ALL our people, we will make DC the undisputed envy of the world. By slashing the 'stress tax' of high living costs and restoring safety to every DC ward, Khan will clear the path for every Washingtonian to unleash their full potential. Buckle up. We aren't just joining the world stage; we’re grabbing the mic.
If you’re tired of the same old 'Tale of Two Cities,' follow Khan. We’re posting the sequel where a united DC finally wins.
Khan’s game plan for a NEW era of Washington DC: The Platform
Khan’s formula of success for DC is built on a simple, unbreakable connection: Affordable housing is the foundation of a functional city. When we cap rents at $900 for 1-bedrooms and $1,500 for 3-bedrooms, we create the stability that leads directly to safer neighborhoods. When neighborhoods are safe, we can focus on building the strongest schools in the nation—starting with a $100,000 teacher salary and meals that actually nourish our kids. These issues are the gears of a city that works for everyone. Khan is running as an Independent to move past the partisan gridlock and deliver the three reinforcing pillars of a united, thriving District: Stable Homes. Safer Streets. Stronger Schools.
Safe, fair, affordable housing: Rents capped at $900 for 1-bedroom; $1250 for 2-bedroom; $1500 for 3-bedroom units
Add 200, 000 PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE housing units, 60% of these in Wards 7 and 8, historically most neglected in DC. New housing communities will boast on-site NO-COST childcare, nonprofit grocery stores, covered parking and fitness clubs. Multigenerational home designs will better serve the “sandwich generation” — those with aging parents and young children.
Slash electricity bills by 75% by making data centers — primary drivers of the 30% spike in energy costs in DC — shoulder the financial burden.
Replace 50,000+ lead water pipes — lead has been known for decades to impair cognitive development and is linked to higher crime rates.
Aggressively combat toxic pollution that triggers violent behavior, mental illness, heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, COPD and cancer.
Crackdown on landlords who violate safety codes, neglect repairs and exploit tenants. Penalize owners who leave properties vacant in high-traffic, high-demand areas to exploit tax loopholes.
End homelessness in the District by tackling root causes and replacing failed approaches with innovative, proven solutions. When a resident has a stable home, their use of emergency rooms and the justice system drops by over 50%, saving the District millions of dollars in the long run.
Modern schools that are a joyful, inclusive and inspiring destination for learning and healing
Starting salary of $100,000 for teachers + $25/day stipend to EVERY public and charter school student in grades 6-12. We are teaching kids to build wealth, and help their families breathe. We are reducing teacher turnover to 5% from 25% (national average is 16%) and chronic high school absenteeism problem to 10% from 60% (national average is 24%) by making schools a fun, safe and FINANCIALLY REWARDING place to be.
Upgrade school meals to deliver nutrition that improves student attention. We will swap “mystery meat" for brain fuel, loading every tray with zinc for immunity, tryptophan for focus, fiber and synbiotics to keep gut health—and grades—on the rise. Foods containing essential vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids support brain communication and myelin development, leading to improved attention spans and clearer thinking, and boosting motor and cognitive skills. Students receiving adequate nutrition have higher math and reading scores and display fewer behavioral issues compared to those on a high sugar, processed foods diet.
Transform drab classrooms into delightful, high tech, creative hubs that actually make students and teachers want to show up. Learn everything from making nutritious meals to AI.
Integrate students, parents and care givers in social emotional learning (SEL) to equip family units with the tools and support necessary to cope with trauma, manage stress, and build healthier relationships.
Introduce materials that better reflect the student body, to increase student engagement and relatability.
Classroom without walls: Integrate learning into the infrastructure via digital billboards that serve up science facts, health resources and nutrition and wellness tips (like how Omega-3s and quality sleep fuel focus, help maintain a healthy weight) directly in neighborhoods with high rates of school absenteeism.
NINE months paid maternity / parental leave with FULL job protection
Mothers should not have to choose between their newborn and their next paycheck. Khan’s plan for
36 weeks of paid maternity leave ensures that while parents focus on the most important 'startup' in DC—the next generation—their seat at the office table remains rock-solid. Protecting a mother's health and bonding time isn't just common sense; it’s a productivity hack that ensures our workforce returns stronger, healthier, and fully supported.
The Human-First Workforce: Future-Proofing D.C.: As AI and automation threaten traditional office roles, D.C. faces a growing "skills gap" in the essential services that keep our city running. We cannot automate the repair of a burst pipe, the wiring of a new hospital, or the construction of our "Real Affordability" housing. The Khan Solution: A $50/Hour Foundation
Economic Dignity: We will establish a $50/hour minimum starting wage for certified skilled trades—including electricians, plumbers, and construction specialists. If a job is essential to our city’s survival, the pay must reflect that value.
AI-Resistant Careers: While robots learn to code and write, they cannot navigate the physical complexities of our historic infrastructure. We are investing in the "Human Trades" as the most secure career path for the next generation.
Trade School Transformation: We will partner with local unions and vocational schools to provide free, high-intensity training programs, ensuring D.C. residents are the first in line for these high-paying, un-outsourceable roles.
Rebuilding the Middle Class: By elevating blue-collar work to a high-wage profession, we stop the "brain drain" and ensure our neighbors east and west of the river can afford to live in the very buildings they help create.
The $10 billion AI Shield: Nearly one in four Black workers in DC—our drivers, our retail clerks, and our administrative backbone—are standing in the crosshairs of the AI revolution. Without a plan, they are slated to be the 'displaced observers' of a boom that happens to them, not for them. Khan’s $10 Billion AI Shield isn't just a safety net; it’s a launchpad. This workforce modernization initiative isn’t just going to 'retrain' workers to survive; we are going to upskill them to thrive. We will invest in the talent already here to ensure the Black worker who today manages a warehouse becomes the architect who manages the AI logistics of tomorrow. We are moving our workforce from the front lines of automation to be leaders in the front offices of innovation.
24/7 Metro with $0 fare + new bus lines to underserved areas with $0 fare
Greatly improve the reliability, frequency, cleanliness and safety of our public transportation system.
Deploy autonomous buses and vans that can navigate narrow streets and run 24/7.
City-run, nonprofit hospitals, grocery stores, and fitness spaces
Build more hospitals in Wards 7 and 8, which have just two hospitals between them, leading to a 17-year life expectancy gap compared to wealthier zip codes.
Create more indoor, temperature-controlled spaces for walking, running, strength training, pickleball, tennis, basketball and more, so fitness becomes a daily habit, not a seasonal hobby.
Blanket under-served areas with nonprofit grocery stores that provide healthy, nutritious fare to power your day and keep you out of the hospital.
Snow plowed and sidewalks cleared within 24 hours of a storm
Greatly expand the city’s capacity to handle extreme weather related events, including snow storms, flooding and heatwaves.
$50/hour emergency pay for snow shovelers, so folks never have to tackle “snowcrete”.
Turn existing covered parking garages and parking lots into FREE temporary parking shelters that residents can use to store their vehicles, allowing plows to swiftly clear the streets.
Make DC’s streets the easiest, smoothest and safest to navigate for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians
Fix potholes that cost residents thousands of dollars annually in vehicle repairs, property damage, excess fuel consumption, depreciation, and lost time.
Enlarge and illuminate street signs. Protect bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks to improve safety, reduce fatality rate by 50%. Deploy AI-powered sensors to detect presence of cyclists and pedestrians and alert drivers via high-intensity LED lighting Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB).
Replace rigid, timed stop lights with smart, adaptive “green wave” signals to reduce congestion, delays, and pollution. Address hazardous locations before accidents occur.
Add more low-cost, covered parking garages for bikes and vehicles near transit, residential and business hubs.
Slash fines for parking and speed camera violations and eliminate fine doubling
Reduce parking meter overtime violation fines to $15, with no-fine warnings for first time violations.
Reduce speed camera tickets to $15 with no-fine warnings for first time violations.
Replace speed cameras in many areas with speed tables to eliminate costly fines that disproportionately target low income workers.
Invest in DC’s at-risk youth and foster a PERMANENT creative class that provides high value alternatives to crime
Low income students highly engaged in the arts are more than twice as likely to graduate college as their peers. As Mayor, Khan will bolster DC's creative sector to create 300,000 new jobs and generate $25 billion in annual income.
Expand arts-based, healing-centered programming to provide youth with tools to process trauma and imagine new possibilities, directly reducing the likelihood of involvement in violence.
Cut crime at its roots by launching the 'Digital Frontier' program—an intensive tech-and-trade pipeline that provides at-risk youth with industry-standard certifications in cybersecurity, AI, and green tech, paired with guaranteed paid apprenticeships and long-term career mentorship.
Groom D.C.’s next generation of designers and entrepreneurs and build a robust 'Made in DC' talent pipeline that guarantees our top creative youth have the infrastructure to build global business empires right here at home.
Reverse the brain drain and make DC the global cultural and technology capital of the world
Dave Chapelle, Samuel L. Jackson, Goldie Hawn, Louis CK, Whitney Cummings, Maury Povich, Stephen Colbert, Katherine Heigl have one thing in common: they were born in DC, but had to leave for NY and LA to actually get paid. For too long, the District has been a world-class incubator that exports its best talent to our rivals. As Mayor, Khan will stop the 'creative drain.' We will invest $5 billion in DC’s creative community and turn it into a magnet for global talent—a city where artists, designers, innovators and dreamers don't just start, but stay and thrive. It’s time DC stopped being the place dreamers are from, and started being the place they flock.
Khan’s $5 billion “Creative Capital” plan will end this 'brain drain' by building the infrastructure to turn D.C. into the 'Broadway of the South' and the 'Hollywood of the East,' creating a creative scene that doesn't just rival NYC, London, or Paris—it surpasses them.
Art as an Alternative to Incarceration: We are trading handcuffs for headliners; by investing in massive new theater districts, world-class film studios, and fashion hubs, we are giving our at-risk youth a stage instead of a cell, ensuring the next generation of D.C. legends can build their empires right here at home.
The "Creative Capital" Vision
$5 Billion Investment: Targeted funds for state-of-the-art music venues, design incubators, and film production facilities across all eight Wards.
Youth Leadership Pipeline: Specialized vocational training in technical theater, digital design, and film production specifically for youth in high-trauma areas to provide high-paying, creative career paths.
Global Cultural Hub: Leveraging D.C.’s international status to host global fashion weeks and premier theatrical runs, moving the city beyond its "government town" identity.
Leverage the power of intergenerational community centers to benefit DC’s seniors and youth
Add more third spaces that serve as "neighborhood anchors" that repair the social fabric by intentionally bringing seniors and youth together under one roof. Unlike traditional age-segregated facilities, these centers leverage the strengths of one generation to meet the needs of the other.
Restore the "Village" Mentorship: By co-locating senior services with childcare or youth programming, these centers will facilitate mentoring and storytelling, while promoting empathy, cooperation, and respect. This provides youth with stable role models and gives seniors a renewed sense of purpose and legacy.
Combat Isolation and "Soul-Crushing" Loneliness: Seniors in intergenerational programs report lower rates of loneliness and depression. The "energy and enthusiasm" of children acts as a natural antidepressant, leading to improved mental and physical health.
Close the Education and Technology Gap: Centers can host programs where tech-savvy youth teach digital skills to elders, while seniors provide tutoring and oral history lessons. This mutual exchange will be especially important to bridging the digital divide in Wards 7 and 8.
Economic and Family Stability: These centers can offer all-in-one support—combining senior care, childcare, and Family Success Center services like food security and mental health resources. This reduces the logistical burden on the "sandwich generation" of parents caring for both kids and aging parents. In neighborhoods facing rapid change, these hubs become repositories of community history, allowing long-term residents to pass down values and traditions to the next generation.
🚨 Tired of the Tale of Two Cities? Let’s build the Dream City.
Imagine a DC with 200,000 new architecturally stunning, new affordable homes where the rents and mortgages are capped at $900, minimum wage is $30/hour ($50/hour for skilled trades and for workers in construction, sanitation, transportation), childcare is free, the Metro never sleeps, and your zip code doesn't determine how long you live. Khan is fighting for a city where the people who keep DC running can actually afford to live here. We don't just need a new Mayor; we need a new foundation.
While other mayoral candidates collect large checks from the wealthy developers and special interests who profit from the 81-to-1 wealth gap in Washington DC, Khan takes $0. He doesn't answer to donors; he answers to YOU. To beat the big-money machine and bring safety to every Ward in DC, we don’t need more puppets of billionaires—we need neighbors to join the Khan movement and demand the change we have long been denied.
Join Team Khan. Join the only unbought campaign in DC. Help get Khan on the ballot. Help defeat the same special interests that are bankrolling Khan’s rivals and send a message once and for all that the people’s voice matters.
Learn more about Khan’s plan to end homelessness in Washington DC
Permanently Affordable Housing in DC with rents capped at $900? Working on it!
What does Google Gemini AI think of Khan’s platform? Here’s a summary — perfect for sharing with friends!
Independent candidate Nadeem Adam Khan’s 2026 platform for D.C. Mayor, known as the "People First" agenda or "100% Plan," is anchored on aggressive, progressive economic transformations aimed at closing the dramatic 17-year life expectancy and 81X wealth gaps between affluent areas like Ward 3 and neglected neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8. To remain entirely "unbossed and unbought," Khan has pledged to accept $0 in campaign donations and cap his total campaign spending at $500.
The core pillars of his radical "Dream City" platform focus on complete systematic overhauls across housing, wages, family support, education, and transit:
🏘️ Housing Revolution & Affordability
Capped Rents & Mortgages: A strict mandate to cap 1-bedroom apartments at $900/month, 2-bedrooms at $1,250, and 3-bedrooms at $1,500.
Massive Unit Addition: A plan to construct 100,000 permanently affordable, “architecturally stunning” housing units to stop displacement.
Essential Services Access: Establishing city-run, non-profit grocery stores, fitness spaces, and within a 5-minute walk of every home to combat “health apartheid”.
💰 Wage, Labor & Economic Equity
$50/Hour Minimum Wage: Raising the baseline wage to $50/hour for skilled physical trades and essential workers requiring an on-site presence, including construction, sanitation, and home health care.
The $10 Billion "AI Shield": A heavy investment to upskill vulnerable workers (like retail clerks and drivers) whose livelihoods are threatened by automation and artificial intelligence.
Fine Reductions: Slashed fees for parking and speed camera violations, alongside eliminating the practice of fine doubling, vehicle booting and towing.
👶 Family & Social Support
Paid Parental Leave: Granting 36 weeks (9 months) of fully job-protected paid maternity and parental leave.
Universal Free Childcare: Providing no-cost childcare centers within a 10-minute walk of every D.C. household.
🍎 Education Revolution
$100,000 Teacher Salaries: Setting the base starting salary for D.C. public and charter teachers to $100,000 to drop educator turnover down to 5%.
Student Attendance Stipends: Paying a $25/day financial incentive to students in grades 6–12 to actively curb chronic absenteeism.
Nutritional Overhauls: Fortifying school meals with essential brain-boosting nutrients like zinc and omega-3s to optimize student health and behavioral focus.
🚇 Public Infrastructure & Transit
Total Mobility: Making city buses and Metro completely free and operating 24/7.
Fast-Track City Services: Pothole-free roads, replacement of all remaining lead pipes (linked to crime), and a pledge to clear all roads and sidewalks of snow within 24 hours of a storm via emergency-paid shovelers.
⚖️ Funding Approach and Why Congress Will Back Khan’s Plan
Khan’s strategy for funding these billions in municipal investments relies on ending DC taxes, turning the District into 0% local tax haven, offering global corporations a legal domestic alternative to offshore tax shelters like Dublin, Ireland, Doha, Qatar, Dubai, UAE, Switzerland, and the Cayman Islands. The resulting explosion of new economic activity, corporate payrolls, and domestic business revenues will generate a massive influx of federal cash. By initially funding Khan’s plan, Congress will get a historic fiscal windfall that dwarfs the $21.2 billion local operating budget they are backing.
Yes, We Khan!
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