Another day, another challenger enters the race to unseat Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans. The latest candidate is Daniel Hernandez, a Microsoft employee and former Marine who served two tours in Afghanistan.

“I have a lot of issues with the way Councilmember Evans has operated,” Hernandez tells DCist. “Sure, he’s had a long career and he’s done some good things in the ward, but there’s a pattern of peddling influence that I think is unacceptable and he needs to be held accountable.”

Evans, who has gone a decade without any primary competition, now faces four people who have announced they’re running in next year’s June primary. The longest-serving D.C. councilmember, Evans is currently the subject of a federal investigation into his relationships with the private sector and a recall effort. His colleagues on the D.C. Council formally reprimanded him in March and stripped him of some of his Finance Committee chair responsibilities. He stepped down as chairman of the Metro Board last month, as WMATA’s ethics probe into him concluded (and remains under wraps).

Hernandez, a political newcomer who has lived in Dupont Circle for the past few years, says that his decision to get involved “was based on the [now-Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh hearing,” which he watched with his partner “and my frustration reached a boiling point, so I decided to evaluate my life and see where I was and what I could do differently.” That led him to local politics, he says.

Less than two months later, in November, Hernandez says he felt “very strongly” he should challenge Evans. At that point, news of the federal investigation and the Washington Post’s release of emails demonstrating that Evans pitched his influence to various law firms was still months away, but “it’s not like any of that was really a surprise,” says Hernandez.

“It’s quite a surprise that everyone was jumping in now, but I made a decision and I’m sticking with it,” he adds. Like Evans’ three other challengers, Hernandez signed up to participate in the city’s new public elections financing program.

Hernandez says “restoring integrity” is the main thrust of his campaign, as well as “working towards safe streets” by protecting bus and bike lanes and making streets more pedestrian-friendly. He also wants a renewed focus on D.C. schools and more houses in the District. “We need more affordable housing in the District’s better-off neighborhoods, and we need affordable housing and market rate housing in the District’s worse-off neighborhoods,” he says. “I’m a big fan of mixed-income developments and neighborhoods.”

The current state of the Ward 2 race is prime for fans of game theory. While Evans’ slate of scandals has left him politically weakened, a big field of challengers would likely split the vote. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner John Fanning, another candidate, suggested the idea of a “united front,” in which the challengers coalesce around the best possible person to unseat Evans. Hernandez says he’s open to it. While Fanning says that ANC Commissioner Patrick Kennedy, the first person to announce his candidacy, has expressed interest in the idea, it’s unclear whether first-time candidate Jordan Grossman is on board.

Previously:
A Third Candidate Jumps In The Race To Unseat Jack Evans In Ward 2
Jack Evans Gets A Second Challenger For His Ward 2 Council Seat
Jack Evans’ Former Campaign Chair Is Running For His Council Seat
Notes On A Scandal: WTF Is Going On With Ward 2’s Jack Evans?