Carol Schwartz (born January 20, 1944) is an American politician and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

from Washington, D.C., who served as a Republican at-large member on the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia (or simply D.C. Council) is the legislative branch of the government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state and is overseen ...

from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1997 to 2009. A five-time perennial candidate for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, she is the only Republican nominee since the restoration of

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

to garner more than 30 percent of the vote. She announced her fifth campaign for mayor on June 9, 2014 finishing behind

Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the current mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously represented th ...

and

David Catania David A. Catania (born January 16, 1968) is an American politician and lawyer from Washington, D.C. He was formerly an at-large List of members of the Council of the District of Columbia, member of the Council of the District of Columbia, which h ...

. In 2015, she was appointed to the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability by Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Early life

Carol Schwartz was born on January 20, 1944 in

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, ninth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, and the largest city by population in the Mississippi Delta region. It is the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, Was ...

. Schwartz lived with her family for brief periods in

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, Anderson and Roane County, Tennessee, Roane counties in the East Tennessee, eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Oak Ridge's po ...

, and

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

,Sherwood, Tom
"Schwartz's Life a Tale of Drive and Prejudice"
''The Washington Post''. P. A01. October 20, 1986. before settling down in Midland, Texas, where she spent nearly all of her childhood. Growing up in Midland, Schwartz experienced anti-Semitism as a child, where she was one of very few Jewish people in the city. Schwartz graduated from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

in 1965 with a degree in elementary and

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

. After graduation, she worked as a special education teacher in Austin, but she quit and moved to the District in 1966 after visiting the city.Slacum, Greene, Marcia
"Schwartz Touts a Lack of Political Baggage"
''The Washington Post''. p. D01. October 26, 1998.

Political career

1974–1988

Schwartz entered D.C. politics in 1974 as a member of the Board of Education representing Ward 3. Reelected four years later, she unsuccessfully ran for president of the Board of Education in 1980. In 1984 she ran for the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

as an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

member. She ran against Jerry A. Moore, Jr., who had held the seat for ten years and who was also a Republican. After Schwartz defeated Moore in the Republican primary, Moore decided to run a

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

campaign in the general election, but Schwartz won the general election as well. In 1986, Schwartz ran for mayor against two-term incumbent

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

. She campaigned primarily on providing better basic services, arguing that "there is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the trash." She lost, tallying 33 percent of the vote. In an interview in 1994, Schwartz said the results exceeded her expectations; she had only expected to receive 10 percent of the vote running against Barry. Indeed, before Schwartz's bid, no Republican mayoral candidate had crossed the 30 percent mark. She decided not to run for reelection to the council after the 1988 suicide of her husband, real estate lawyer David H. Schwartz, which occurred on her birthday.

1994–1998

Schwartz reentered politics in 1994, running again for mayor. Marion Barry also reentered politics that year, defeating incumbent mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly in the Democratic primary election. Although Schwartz lost to Barry, she did tally 42 percent of the vote—easily the strongest showing by a Republican mayoral candidate since the restoration of home rule in 1974. In 1996, Schwartz ran for an at-large seat in the council. The only Republican on the ballot, she won the race and rejoined the council. In 1998, Schwartz ran for mayor for the third time, campaigning for "safe streets, good schools, a clean environment." She lost to Democrat Anthony A. Williams, tallying 30 percent of the vote. She successfully ran for reelection to the Council in 2000. Schwartz opposed term limits for elected officials. In 2001, Schwartz voted for legislation that overturned the results of a popular referendum limiting members of the D.C. Council to two terms.

2002–2005

In 2002, Schwartz decided not to run officially in the Republican primary for mayor, but said she would consider running in general election if she won the write-in vote in the primary election.Timberg, Craig; Becker, Jo
"Write-Ins, Shoo-Ins: Primary Has It All"
''The Washington Post''. p. B01. September 10, 2002.Timberg, Craig

''The Washington Post''. p.DZ03. October 31, 2002. Schwartz attacked Williams' record as mayor, saying that his "stewardship has been marred by ethical lapses, questionable judgment and a cold lack of compassion for our poorest and most helpless citizens." With no individual's name on the ballot for mayor in the Republican primary, Republican voters could only write-in a candidate's name for mayor. Williams was forced into a write-in campaign in the Democratic primary after many of his petitions to run on the Democratic ballot were found to be invalid.Silverman, Elissa
"What the Hell"
. ''Washington City Paper'']. October 10, 2002. Williams ended up winning not only the Democratic primary as a write-in candidate, but he also won the Republican primary as a write-in candidate, receiving 1,707 votes compared to Schwartz's 999. The District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics declared Williams the winner of the Democratic primary, but it also declared that there was no winner in the Republican primary. The Board allowed the Republican committee to choose a Republican nominee for mayor in the general election, and the committee chose Schwartz.Timberg, Craig
"Schwartz Enters Race, Hits Williams on Ethics"
''The Washington Post''. p. A01. September 27, 2002. Schwartz accepted the Republican nomination, officially entering the election for mayor for the fourth time. Schwartz received 34% of the vote in the general election while Williams received 61%. In 2004, Schwartz successfully ran for reelection to the council. In 2005, to mock supporters of the proposed

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor employ ...

in D.C. bars, she introduced legislation to "ban the sale of alcohol in all bars, restaurants and nightclubs", arguing that alcohol, like cigarettes, is unhealthy. Schwartz, a 40-year smoker who kicked the habit in 2001, explained her position by telling ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'': "I like freedom of choice about abortion and nude dancingconsenting adults should have choices." Instead of prohibiting smoking in all restaurants and bars, Schwartz favored giving tax credits to those establishments that voluntarily prohibit smoking on their premises.

2007–2008

In 2007 and 2008, Schwartz shepherded the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act through the council. The law, which was adopted in March 2008, requires District employers to give their workers

paid time off Paid time off, planned time off, or personal time off (PTO), is a policy in some employee handbooks that provides a bank of hours in which the employer pools sick days, vacation days, and personal days that allows employees to use as the need or ...

to address their health needs or those of a family member. The bill faced significant opposition from the District's business community, as well as from several of Schwartz's colleagues on the council. The law made the District the second jurisdiction in the U.S. to create a mandated

sick leave Sick leave (or paid sick days or sick pay) is paid time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health needs without losing pay. It differs from paid vacation time or time off work to deal with personal matters, because ...

requirement, following San Francisco. The D.C. law represents the first time a paid sick days requirement was adopted by a city- or state-level legislative body in the U.S.; the San Francisco law was adopted as a ballot initiative. The D.C. law also represents the first law to require employers to offer time paid time off to victims of stalking, sexual assault, or domestic violence who need time off to seek medical care, shelter, counseling, a court order, or other services related to the domestic violence. The San Francisco law does not require paid leave for this purpose.

2008 reelection campaign

Schwartz ran for reelection to the Council in 2008.DeBonis, Mike
Finally! Schwartz Announces Re-Election Bid
''Washington City Paper''. June 9, 2008. Patrick Mara, a government relations consultant, ran against her in the Republican primary election. Mara depicted Schwartz as "not representative of core urban Republican values."Stewart, Nikita

''The Washington Post''. September 2, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008. He did not consider her a fiscal conservative, saying that Schwartz "did nothing to halt a 51 percent increase in the D.C. budget in four years."Fisher, Marc

''The Washington Post''. September 4, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2008. In response, Schwartz noted another council member who voted for the budget increases was

, whom Mara has said he admires.DeBonis, Mike
"Schwartz and Mara Get Catty"
''Washington City Paper''. August 21, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008. The D.C. Republican Party endorsed Schwartz in the primary. The Service Employees International Union Local 722 also endorsed Schwartz. ''The Washington Post'' endorsed Mara. The business community strongly supported Mara. The Greater Washington Board of Trade and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce PAC both endorsed Mara and raised money for his campaign. According to unofficial results released on September 10, Mara had received 60 percent of votes, while Schwartz received 40 percent.Stewart, Nikita; Harris, Hamil R.; Silverman, Elissa
"Elections Officials Stand by D.C. Primary Results"
''The Washington Post''. September 10, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008. On September 15, Schwartz announced that she would run as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

in the general election.Davis, Marcia
"Schwartz to Run as Write-In"
''The Washington Post''. September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008. Endorsements in the general election were varied. The D.C. Republican party,Chibbaro, Jr., Lou
"Schwartz launches write-in campaign"
''Washington Blade''. September 16, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008. Log Cabin Republicans of D.C.,Chibbaro, Jr., Lou
"Gay vote could be decisive in at-large Council race"
''Washington Blade''. October 17, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008. and the Greater Washington Board of Trade all supported Mara. The editorial board of ''The Washington Post'' published an endorsement of both Mara and incumbent Democrat Kwame Brown. The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Schwartz.Stewart, Nikita R
"FOP Still Likes Carol"
''The Washington Post''. October 16, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008. Service Employees International Union Local 722, the

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

of the Hotel Association of Washington,Stewart, Nikita R
"H.O.T.E.L. For M.I.K.E."
''The Washington Post''. October 9, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008. and the news editor of ''The Georgetown Voice'' supported Michael Brown. Among sitting council members,

Jim Graham James McMillan Nielson Graham (August 26, 1945 – June 11, 2017) was a Scottish-born American politician and a member of the Council of the District of Columbia. As a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat he represented Ward One of the Di ...

, and

Phil Mendelson Philip Heath Mendelson (born November 8, 1952) is an American politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, elected by the Council on June 13, 2012, following the resignation of Kwame R. Bro ...

endorsed Schwartz.Davis, Marcia
"Council Members Endorse Schwartz"
''The Washington Post''. October 30, 2008. Vincent Gray, Harry Thomas, Jr.,

, and

endorsed Michael Brown. In the general election, Mara was on the ballot with four other candidates. Three candidates, all formerly registered as Democrats, were listed as independents on the ballot: lobbyist Michael Brown, ANC commissioner Dee Hunter, and Mark H. Long.Chibbaro Jr., Lou
Clampitt withdraws from Council race, endorses Brown
''Washington Blade''. July 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-29. Kwame Brown received 48 percent of votes, earning him reelection to the council, and Michael Brown received 20 percent, giving him the seat formerly occupied by Schwartz."General Election 2008 Certified Results"
. ''District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics''. November 17, 2008. In third place, write-in votes, including votes for Schwartz, comprised 11 percent.

Ideology

Schwartz is a moderate Republican; fiscally conservative and socially liberal. She opposes redirecting public money toward private and religious school through

school vouchers A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

and supports allowing smoking and nude dancing in bars. A fiscal conservative, she supports reducing taxes and smaller government budgets. She has blocked legislation requiring large retailers to pay a higher minimum wage to their employees. Schwartz supports abortion rights and has been supportive of some

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

causes. In 2004, Schwartz announced her support of domestic partnerships, but she opposed instituting

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in Washington .Schwartz, Carol
Still fighting for a better tomorrow
. ''Washington City Paper''. May 30, 2008. She said her opposition stems not from her opposition to same-sex marriage, but her belief that it would engender a backlash from Congress. Schwartz believed that

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

would quickly repeal the law and seek to overturn pro-gay legislation in the District, such as the domestic partnership registry and gay adoption law. She said she probably would have voted in favor of a bill to establish same-sex marriage in the District if she were certain Congress would allow it. Schwartz has voted for legislation prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against people with AIDS. Schwartz is opposed to including former criminals as protected classes in the District's human rights law, saying that jewelry stores should have the right not to hire convicted jewel thieves. Schwartz also opposed the extension of the District's youth curfew in 2007. Schwartz voted in favor of the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, which requires District employers to give their employees paid sick leave. Schwartz is in favor of instituting capital punishment. While Schwartz supports giving the District full representation in Congress and full control over its own affairs, she does not favor statehood for the District, saying, "Statehood would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. We shouldn't give up our unique status as the national capital." Schwartz endorsed

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

for president during the 2020 US Presidential Election

Personal life

She was married to David Schwartz. They have two daughters and one son. All her children attended and graduated from District of Columbia Public Schools. Schwartz's son is singer-songwriter Doug Levitt. David committed suicide on January 20, 1988, his wife's 44th birthday. Schwartz's autobiography, ''Quite a Life! From Defeat to Defeat... And Back'', was published in 2017.

Election history

1986

Mayor of the District of Columbia The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the D.C. Council. ...

, General Election 1994

, Republican Primary Election 1994

, General Election 1996

, At Large, Republican Primary Election 1996

, At Large, General Election 1998

, Republican Primary Election 1998

, General Election 2000

, At Large, Republican Primary Election 2000

, At Large, General Election 2002

, General Election 2004

, At Large, Republican Primary Election 2004

, At Large, General Election 2008

, At Large, Republican Primary Election 2008

, At Large, General Election Certified Results 2014

, General Election

References

External links

Guide to the Carol Schwartz Papers, 1983-2008
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University. , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Carol 1944 births 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians Activists from Texas American autobiographers Candidates in the 1986 United States elections Candidates in the 1994 United States elections Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Jewish American people in Washington, D.C., politics Living people Members of the Council of the District of Columbia People from Midland, Texas Politicians from Austin, Texas University of Texas at Austin College of Education alumni Washington, D.C., independents Washington, D.C., Republicans Women city councillors in the District of Columbia