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A first-time GOP candidate will challenge D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in November, hoping to become the first Republican mayor of the nation's capital
Bowser, who won the Democratic primary for mayor, will faceStacia Hall, a businesswoman, Christian community leader and former model and singer, in the November election. Hall told Fox News Digital that she hopes to spark a change in D.C. to address crime and increase economic opportunities for residents.
"I want to hopefully be part of the change that's going to take place in D.C. This being our capital, we really should set the pace for the rest of the nation. This should be the role model city, and yet it's not. And we see our city going to waste," Hall said.
Crime and particularly homicides, which in D.C. are 13% higher so far in 2022 than the same time period last year, is the top concern for voters even in the wealthier areas of the district, Hall said.
"That is the top issue. It's like a wave that's moving across the district. And so when I go and see my neighbors in Georgetown, they are experiencing crime, my friend," Hall said.
Stacia Hall, Republican candidate for DC mayor (Stacia Hall for DC Mayor)
Hall placed the blame on the city's current leadership and called for the city to work closer with cops to address crime rates.
"We should have had better solutions, not defunding the police and hiring more social workers. There's no sense in that, we need a better relationship with the police," she said.
Hall spoke just days after a 15-year-old boy was killed at a shooting during music festival celebrating Juneteenth in the heart of D.C.
"That was a child that was out trying to enjoy the Juneteenth holiday, and his parents didn't know they'd never see him again."
Bowser, who is seeking a third term as mayor, has also been critical of some police reform efforts.
"I’ve never been to a community where they said they didn’t want the police. Never," Bowser said during a May debate with Democratic candidates. "We need the police that we need."
City officials including Mayor Muriel Bowser discuss the rising violence at a press conference, in Washington, DC. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Hall said her Christian faith would guide her efforts to reform the approach to crime.
"Being a woman of faith, if I'm elected, I'm going to be a praying woman, praying, seeking wisdom," she said.
Hall, who experienced homelessness years ago while trying to raise two children as a single mother, also wants to see better opportunities for residents of D.C. Republicans, she said, believe in true economic equity.
"Muriel has had eight years to get [what] I would call failing communities on an equal playing field. But that has not happened because there's too many special political interests," Hall said, adding that the city should look for ways to help people better themselves, not more welfare.
"There should be incentives for people to get it out, get educated, get to work, and buy homes and start businesses. So a lot of the communities that are most vulnerable are disappointed. They don't want to leave their communities. I just don't see why we can't give them the quality of life so that they can be a part of a growing district, a growing nation's capital."
She hopes to enact budget reforms in the district to avoid raising property taxes, which could hurt seniors living on fixed incomes.
"People want to keep money in their bank accounts. They want to keep money in their pockets. They see and believe that the property taxes are in jeopardy of going up," Hall said.
City officials including Mayor Muriel Bowser, right, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III, center and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chris Geldart, left, with the guns collected from the shooter who terrorized the Van Ness area after discussing the rising violence at a press conference, in Washington, DC. (Bill O'Leary/Washington Post via Getty Images)
To do that, the city needs to audit its finances, according to Hall.
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"What really should be done is a comprehensive review of the D.C. budget. Streamline it to increase transparency and accountability, and audit D.C. government procurement and contracts on a regular basis. So in other words, I have mastered the way to be a coupon clipper. I want to be the coupon clipper in chief of Washington, D.C., so that there are people that live here that are happy, satisfied, contracts, content in all areas and look forward to living here."
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