Neighbors United for Ward 6, the campaign committee formed to support Charles Allen and stop a misleading recall effort, raised $61,000 since launching ten days ago. If this campaign were eligible for public financing, it would have qualified in just five hours.

Additionally, Planned Parenthood Advocates of DC, MD, and NoVa, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36, Sierra Club DC, SEIU 32BJ, the Ward 6 Democrats, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, and the DC Latino Caucus have all issued strong statements of support for Charles Allen and against any recall effort.

“I’m grateful for this incredible outpouring of support from Ward 6 neighbors and our partners. They recognize this misleading recall effort won’t make us safer and distracts from actually solving problems,” said Charles Allen. “My ask is simple for Ward 6 neighbors: decline to sign the petition to force a recall vote.  As I said when I was re-elected with 94% of the vote just a year ago, our city looks to the Mayor and Council to lead. And we have so much underway and in front of us. But we can’t do it alone. Join me. Don’t be fooled by efforts to sow fear and misinformation; we need you to help us build stronger communities.”

Neighbors United for Ward 6 Chair Tommy Wells said, “The combination of such strong fundraising out of the gate and the endorsements of some of the District’s most prominent organizations shows just how much people appreciate and support the hard work Charles has done as our Councilmember. They understand there are complicated challenges ahead of us. But they appreciate his collaborative and strategic approach and know he has a track record of delivering for Ward 6 and the District.”

More than 70 percent of the 473 donors are Ward 6 residents, and 95 percent of donations are from DC residents. This stands in stark contrast to the recall campaign’s January 31 report, which showed nearly half of their contributions came from outside of Ward 6.

No contributions are being accepted from corporations, keeping a pledge Charles Allen has made to voters since his first campaign in 2014. 
Below are statements of support issued for the campaign and against the recall effort:

Dr. Laura Meyers, Co-CEO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of DC, MD, and NoVa:

“Charles Allen has been an ardent supporter of sexual and reproductive health care and health equity, effectively serving as our Ward 6 Councilmember. The bills he has led on have had a tangible, positive impact on the lives of his constituents. We continue to endorse him and categorically do not support any effort to recall our Ward 6 Councilmember – and a true champion of reproductive freedom – from the DC Council for vague and dubious reasons. This is an unnecessary distraction from the real work we all need to do to fight for health equity in Washington, DC.”

David Hoagland, President, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36:

“Charles Allen has been a strong supporter of IAFF Local 36 and the men and women serving their city as first responders in the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department. He has had our backs to make sure firefighters and EMTs have the tools and resources they need to protect DC residents, fought for better pay and benefits for those who serve this great city, and expanded protections for our members’ health and safety. Now IAFF Local 36 has his back, too — we fully support Charles Allen as the Ward 6 Councilmember and oppose any recall effort. It’s a distraction from the hard work our city needs to focus on to improve safety and growth for our residents, businesses, and community.”

Sierra Club DC Chapter: 

“Charles Allen is our environmental and climate champion on the DC Council. He’s a fighter for reducing climate pollution and air pollution in DC. Charles Allen has led efforts to transition the District off fossil fuels, reduce utility bills through energy efficiency, and expand sustainable transportation. The Sierra Club and the environmental community will fight to keep our champion on the DC Council.”

Jaime Contreras, Executive Vice President, SEIU 32BJ:

“On behalf of 10,000 property services workers in DC, among over 175,000 in 12 states, 32BJ SEIU today announced their strong opposition to the campaign to recall Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen. Motivated by Allen’s long track record of improving life for low-wage working families and essential workers, the union is throwing their full support behind the effort to defeat the campaign. Charles Allen has been one of the most accessible, thoughtful, and reliable forces on the Council for low-wage workers and their families who struggle to survive in such an expensive city. The recall campaign could undo all of this progress and hurt the most vulnerable residents and essential workers who sacrificed their health and lives keeping our city and economy running. It defies logic to hold a single Councilmember responsible for what has proven to be a very large, complex and systemic problem stemming from forces largely outside of the Council’s control (court system, federal control, etc.).”

Elizabeth Engel, Chair, Ward 6 Democrats:

“The Ward 6 Democrats fully support our democratically-elected Councilmember, Charles Allen, and unequivocally oppose this recall effort. This recall attempt is a misguided effort designed to scapegoat Charles for a regional increase in crime. This campaign will be a waste of energy, attention, and taxpayer money that will not materially improve safety in our neighborhood or our city. Addressing crime is a complex issue that involves, at minimum, all 13 members of the Council, the mayoral administrative and executive functions of city government, MPD, prosecutorial decisions, judges, detention, and rehabilitation services. Specific to DC, our criminal legal system, particularly prosecution, judicial staffing, and imprisonment, is further hampered by the fragmentation that is a result of our lack of statehood. Contrary to the messaging of the recall campaign, Charles is not the reason for DC’s crime problems. He has been tackling this issue head on, not avoiding it as the recall campaigners would have you believe. In short, this is a distraction at a time when DC can least afford it. We have serious issues to address as a community and as a nation in 2024.”

Statement of Support from the DC Latino Caucus:

The filing is in the process of being uploaded to DC’s Office of Campaign Finance following some technical issues with OCF’s website, but should be available shortly. Notably, the filing includes all required information for donors, including employers.