Exclusive Interview: Meet Republican Mayoral Candidate Stacia Hall    

D.C.’s mayoral election will be held this Nov. 8 and many assume incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) is a shoe-in to win a third consecutive term in office. But, for the first time since 2006, a Republican challenger – Stacia Hall (R) – will be on the ballot.  

We spoke with Hall about her background, qualifications and leadership vision. Though she faces considerable uphill challenges in this heavily Democratic city – where no Republicans sit on the D.C. Council and fewer than 10 percent of eligible voters are registered Republicans – her campaign this year may serve as the impetus for her to become a major figure in D.C. politics in the years to come. 

As a single mom living in Cleveland Park, Hall describes herself as “an outsider who is not a career politician at all.” She’s hoping to help others turn their lives around as she did her own after a period of struggling.  

Hall told The Georgetowner: “I’m a mother of two and a grandmother of two and some time ago I turned to welfare to take care of my family. And I found myself sinking deeper into poverty. So I made the decision that “I’m going to pull myself out of this and I’m going to prosper.” And so I did. I conquered. I went from a very impoverished condition where I was living in public housing for a year and I even, for a small period, was homeless. But I went on to a prosperous life and decided that one day I would work hard. And I did so.”   

With hard work, persistence and her strong Christian faith, Hall worked various jobs “including as a patient care coordinator in Suitland, Maryland,” eventually lifting herself up by the bootstraps to become a senior rental consultant at CORT Business Services and a founder and owner of Eclectic Minimalist Interior Décor and Staging, her startup based in Ward 3.   

Rejecting government dependency and embracing entrepreneurial enterprise, Hall soon felt more at home with conservative economic themes, so she crossed to the Republican side of the aisle. As an African-American woman, she embraces the historical anti-slavery roots of the Republican party while decrying Democratic race-based narratives she believes are intended to win Black votes while keeping African-Americans dependent. 

Hall’s campaign bio gives a sense of her dynamism and family life: “Growing up in Pentacostal churches amongst her mother’s ministry as she honed her singing talent, Stacia excelled in language arts, drama, and sports. She competed in several local talent [and] beauty pageants, winning Queen of Miami Bahamas Goombay Festival in 1988 while attending Miami Dade College… [and she] became a professional singer, actress and model at age 18, performing with local bands 60s and 70s music and stage plays until 2015.” Hall’s “daughter is a senior at Jackson-Reed High… and is a member of Tigerettes dance team” and her son “a warehouse professional [in] the wholesale industry. She is also a proud grandmother of two.” 

In addition to her volunteer work, Hall is a “faith and community leader” who has served as “drama director, worship leader, and dance minister at In His Presence Worship Temple in Largo, Maryland.”  

What made Hall jump into the mayoral race? “I know that in D.C. we have a predominantly Democrat stronghold. And the things I’ve heard voters talk about the most are parents’ rights being infringed on. They also talk about violence increasing and the lack of police and education.” These are issues Hall believes voters can unite around to “bridge the gap” between the political parties. 

When asked about what qualifies Hall to serve as mayor, she emphasized her business acumen. “Problem-solving has to be a skillset that’s important when you’re managing people and a base of business,” she said. And smart budgeting is also a thing I’ve gotten really skilled in doing.”  

As a conservative Republican, Hall believes strongly in cutting taxes, preventing illegal immigration, boosting the number of police officers on the beat, reducing crime and violence, clearing homeless encampments, giving parents “school choice,” and keeping schools and churches open during the pandemic. She also calls for a task force for “mental health support” to help people in crisis. And for repairing potholes in the streets.  

Hall would also like to see more vocational education in the D.C. Public School system. “When Marion Barry was mayor,” she said, “he had things like trade and vocational [programs] which are great. And these things have to be brought back. She recounted meeting two young African Americans at the Eastern Market recently who had received certificates in computer programming and HVAC who “came right out of school with those trades and went right into the workforce.”  

In Georgetown, Hall has been campaigning to win votes. Concerns about violence “approaching people’s front door” are frequently conveyed by residents, she said. “The homeless tents that are springing up all over the city are a problem” for Georgetowners.  

While Hall acknowledges that the current Republican party may be in need of reform and greater unity, “as do all [political] parties,” many of her viewpoints fall farther right on the political spectrum. Of former President Trump, she says: “Donald Trump did great things for our economy. Lower gas prices. We know that right off the bat. We can also say that jobs were up for African Americans and Hispanics, right? So, when he left office, he left the nation in great condition… Most African Americans see today that Donald Trump really was the best president. They see it today and you’re going to see it. They’re not going to be held captive by Democrat lies anymore.”  

In describing today’s Democratic party, Hall doesn’t mince words. The Democrats “were the party of slavery… and they still are… I want to be a proud Republican. That is my choice. And I should not be made to feel ashamed for my choices. And also, everyone loves to attack the Republicans but why not attack the Democrats for daily talking up the race narrative and talking about how everybody hates the African Americans. To make us feel like we are despised. To make us feel like we are rejected and unwanted. That is what the Democrats do all day long. You tear us down and then try to build us up. That, my dear, is wicked. And you can’t say a Republican does that. A Republican is just what they are – a Republican. But a Democrat is not. They are – most of them, not all – many of them are wicked. They are wicked.” 

“But one thing I can say is Republicans want people to work,” Hall continued. “They want people off of welfare. They want people to own homes and businesses and to enjoy their life and to live the American dream. But not the Democrats. The welfare system is illegal according to the Constitution… According to the Constitution, government should not be taking taxes from the people to pay the poor. Read the Constitution.” 

Unlike a number of Republicans running for office, Hall allowed that if she loses her mayoral bid she will concede the election. “Oh, that’s an interesting question,” she said. “… So, if were to lose the election to Mayor Bowser, then I would have lost the election.” 

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