A Mayoral Slugfest, Council Shuts Out Public, and Commanders Stadium Revealed

The 2026 D.C. mayoral race is off to a heated start, with claims to fundraising records by both candidates Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George.In this episode of the Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom are joined by NBC4's Mark Segraves to talk about how the D.C. Council cut out the public as it picks an interim council member.Plus, we talk about the new Commanders stadium's monumental design — and the path ahead, including whether fans will be priced out.00:00 Headlines02:37 Kenyan McDuffie Jumps into the Mayoral Race03:47 McDuffie's Stance on ICE and DC07:49 Affordability09:30 Fundraising Wars: McDuffie vs Janeese Lewis George11:42 Janeese's Big Howard Theatre Rally13:39 Who Else Might Run?14:23 Tom Sherwood's Not Running15:23 The Interim Council Member Appointment Process20:46 Political Dynamics in D.C. Council22:35 Budgeting Challenges Ahead23:41 The New Commanders Stadium Design28:01 Gambling Parlor at New Stadium28:52 Future of Old RFK Stadium Artifacts31:16 Will Fans Get Priced Out?The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.