Brianne Nadeau

Brianne Nadeau (born October 11, 1980)[1] is an American Democratic politician in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 1 since 2015.

She defeated long-time incumbent Jim Graham in the Democratic Party primary and won the general election with 75% of the vote in 2014.

[10] Nadeau worked as a public relations consultant and vice president for Rabinowitz Communications,[11] where she promoted progressive causes for nonprofit organizations.

[15] Nadeau ran against four-term member of the Council of the District of Columbia Jim Graham in the Democratic Party primary election in 2014.

[12] Her candidacy was endorsed by At-large Council Member David Grosso,[16] Ward Six Council Member Tommy Wells,[12] progressive political action committee Democracy for America,[17] and the editorial boards of The Washington Post,[18] the Washington City Paper[19] and Northwest Current.

[20] During her campaign, Nadeau emphasized such issues as affordable housing, transportation, constituent services, and the need to provide long-term solutions to recurring problems.

[29] As of August 2017, she had outraised her challengers, with approximately one-third of her campaign contributions coming from developers, lawyers, lobbyists, and corporations.

[33] Prior to her tenure as chair of the Human Services Committee, Nadeau introduced a bill that would have extended benefits for many of the families scheduled to lose support.

[36] The bill was opposed by a coalition of homeless services providers for its more stringent proof-of-residency requirements, some of which were moderated.

[45] Nadeau told a reporter that the bill was too broad and did not find a balance between the rights of homeowners and renters.

[49] In the wake of the Pulse shooting, Nadeau called on Congress to address gun violence in local communities and stop blocking District laws.

[56][57][58] In 2024, a recall effort was launched by local activists due to the doubling of homicides in a single year under her term.

The bill focuses on education and training and creates a task force to study and collect data on the issue.

In May 2015, Nadeau opposed the proposed merger between Exelon and Pepco, expressing concerns about the impact on costs and renewable energy.

[11] She lives in the Park View neighborhood and is married to Jayson Harpster, a Kaiser Permanente consultant.

Nadeau speaking in 2017