Why I’m running for Mayor of DC

Here are a few appalling facts about our city that prompted me to run for Mayor:

The 17-Year Zip Code Penalty: In Ward 3, residents live to 88; in Wards 7 and 8, that number drops to 71, a disparity driven by historic underinvestments in Wards 7 and 8. I believe your birth certificate shouldn’t come with an expiration date dictated by your neighborhood.

The 81x Gap: White households in Northwest D.C. (Wards 2 and 3) have a net worth estimated to be 81 times greater than Black households east of the Anacostia River. A net worth gap of 81:1 between neighborhoods is a monumental structural failure that I will make my top priority to address.

The No-Grocery Zone: It shouldn't take three bus transfers or a $25 Uber ride just to find a fresh head of lettuce. While Northwest DC is overflowing with Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeways and Giants, 160,000 residents in Wards 7 and 8 have been left behind in a desolate "food desert”—they contain 80% of DC’s food deserts with just THREE full-service grocery stores serving 7 & 8 COMBINED. Ward 3 alone has 16! I’m running to ensure that "eating well" isn't a privilege reserved for the wealthy.

Ending the "Medical Apartheid": Six hospitals for the Northwest and one for the Southeast isn't just bad math—it's bad medicine. We’re going to ensure that "quality care" is a right for every Ward, not a luxury for the few.

I know what you’re thinking: “How will you fix DC if you have no government experience?”

Fair question. If 'government experience' was the key to ending poverty, DC wouldn't have a 17-year life expectancy gap or a $150,000 household income gap between Wards just 8 miles apart. Career politicians backed by big donors made Washington DC the city with the highest racial wealth gap in the US.

I don’t have a history of managing the status quo; I have a plan to replace it. And I will be joined by brilliant people who will help execute that plan to lift countless people out of poverty in DC and transform it into a Dream City. DC needs a Mayor who is astute at diagnosing problems and who is more interested in results than a title. I’m not coming to join the establishment; I’m coming to give it a long-overdue upgrade.

I am running for Mayor of Washington DC, because I believe your life expectancy should NOT depend on which side of the river you call home.

I’m not just running to balance the budget; I’m running to balance the scales.

I’m running because I got tired of complaining.

I’m running because I believe it is time for a DC where EVERY Ward is a winner.

I’m running because I believe that the incredible talent and resilience of its people can transform DC into the ultimate Dream City—the gold standard by which all great cities are judged.

How to talk about Khan and his radical platform👇🏽 — please share with your friends!

The "Unbossed & Unbought" Systems Blueprint for D.C. Mayor

Nadeem Adam Khan is running as an Independent for D.C. Mayor in 2026, offering a platform that breaks completely from the traditional political establishment. Rooted in absolute transparency, his campaign is strictly "unbossed and unbought." Khan refuses all political donations—taking exactly $0—and has pledged to spend no more than $500 total on his entire race. This places him in direct opposition to wealthy developers and corporate PACs bankrolling his rivals' multi-million-dollar war chests.

Khan is an engineer, not a career politician. He believes that D.C.’s extreme, systemic crises require bold, structural solutions rather than the cautious "baby missteps" of the past. To build this platform directly from the ground up, Khan skipped expensive political consultants and spent 20 months moonlighting as a D.C. rideshare driver, gathering raw feedback straight from the residents who keep this city moving.

The Platform: Bold Solutions for an Equitable City

Khan’s systems-thinking blueprint introduces aggressive, transformational upgrades to D.C.'s social safety net and business framework:

• Extreme Affordability: Building 200,000 permanently affordable housing units, enforcing a strict rent cap for anyone making under $100,000 ($900 for 1-bedroom, $1,500 for 3-bedroom) to protect Wards 7 and 8 from inflationary displacement.

• Thriving Wages & Labor: Raising the minimum wage to $50/hour for skilled trades and setting a $100,000 baseline salary for D.C. teachers, paired with extraordinary worker protections.

• Universal Public Transit: Making all public transit completely free, including zero-fare buses and a 24/7 Metro system.

• Family & Community Support: Guaranteeing 36 weeks of paid parental leave, universal no-cost childcare, and establishing neighborhood-first, community-run nonprofit grocery stores.

• The Creative New Deal: A massive $5 billion investment in D.C.'s creative and tech sectors, building the infrastructure so the next Hollywood, Broadway, or Silicon Valley forms right here in the District.

The Macroeconomic Solution: How It's Fully Funded

Establishment politicians always ask how a city can afford an expansive social safety net. Khan’s engineering blueprint completely flips the equation by ending local taxation entirely and shifting the revenue burden away from residents.

The Three-Phase Funding Engine

1. The 5-Year Federal Funding Bridge

Phase 1: Stabilization: Khan will secure a 5-year federal investment bridge to fully underwrite D.C.’s municipal budget. By framing the District's stability as a critical national security priority—similar to defense spending—he turns a traditionally hostile local-federal relationship into a win-win partnership. The U.S. Treasury wins handsomely as a massive wave of new companies flocking to the city pay federal corporate taxes.

2. Launching the Tax-Free Global Investment Hub

Phase 2: Hyper-Growth: By completely eliminating local D.C. income, business, and property taxes, and lifting the outdated 1910 height limits, the District will be transformed into the world's premier tax-free investment hub. This unique incentive structure creates an unmatched business environment, attracting trillions in domestic and international capital reserves.

3. The DC Sovereign Wealth Fund

Phase 3: Infinite Reinvestment: The high-volume transaction fees and asset management structures within the hub will generate more than $30 billion annually in local revenue. This massive surplus will fund the permanent D.C. Sovereign Wealth Fund. The profits from this fund will continuously bankroll all social programs, shield vulnerable communities from inflation, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs—all with zero local taxes and zero spending cuts.

By uniting the market freedom demanded by the right with the robust social protections championed by the left, Khan's platform offers a mathematically sound, cross-partisan win-win. It leverages global financial systems to serve human needs, paving the way for a safe, stable, and prosperous Washington, D.C.

Join Team Khan and help transform DC into the ultimate Dream City that works for all!