Brooke Pinto

Brooke Pinto (born 1991/1992)[2] is an American lawyer. In June 2020, she won the special election to succeed Jack Evans on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward 2.[3] She is the youngest councilmember in the District's history.[3]

Brooke Pinto
Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 2
Incumbent
Assumed office June 27, 2020[1]
Preceded by	Jack Evans
Personal details
Born	1991/1992 (age 28–29) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Cornell University (BA) Georgetown University School of Law (JD)
Website	Campaign website

Early life and education

Pinto is from Greenwich, Connecticut, the daughter of James Pinto, a private equity investor who heads MVC Capital.[4] She attended Cornell University and completed a degree in Business & Hospitality Administration.[5] She moved to Washington, DC to attend Georgetown University Law School from which she graduated in 2017.[6][7]

Career

After graduating law school, Pinto worked for Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine through a fellowship program.[4] She helped legislation to address hate crimes and deceptive charity practices.[6] She resigned from the office to launch her campaign for Council of the District of Columbia.

Campaign

In March 2020, Pinto announced her candidacy for Ward 2 Councilmember. Pinto was the last entrant into a crowded field that included Jack Evans, who resigned following multiple ethics violations. Pinto was the only candidate who did not take public financing, which avoided campaign finance limits faced by all other candidates and allowed outside donors to contribute thousands more to her campaign.[8] She was the largest donor to her campaign, loaning or contributing more than $65,000, while relatives gave more than $7,000, including a $975,000 gift in kind "donation" of her campaign headquarters.[8][9] The campaign had discrepancies in its financial filings and underreported expenditures.[9]

Pinto had never previously voted in a DC election.[4] Her platform included opposition to outside interest groups. She touted that she was the only candidate with business, tax, and legislative experience, which was needed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

Karl Racine endorsed Pinto when her candidacy was announced. [4] Pinto also garnered support from Congressmen Richard Blumenthal and Joe Kennedy III, who received thousands of dollars in donations from her father. [4][10] She was also endorsed by former US Senator Tom Daschle and DC's Shadow Senator Michael Brown.[11] The Washington Post editorial board endorsed Pinto, claiming that she would provide a "needed new start".[12]

Election results

In the Democratic Party primary election for a full term in the Ward 2 Council seat, there were reports of long lines and complaints that many voters who had requested ballots by mail did not receive them.[2] Pinto won with 28 percent of the vote in a field of eight candidates listed on the ballot.[13] Pinto will be on the general election ballot, as will Katherine Venice, who won the Republican Part primary election.[13] Peter Bolton is the D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate, and Randy Downs and Martín Miguel Fernandez are both running as independent candidates.[14]

In the special election to finish the remaining term on the vacant Ward 2 Council seat, Pinto won with 43 percent of the vote in a field of seven candidates.[15][16][3]

2020 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 2, Democratic Primary Election[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brooke Pinto	3,142	28
	Democratic	Patrick Kennedy	2,763	25
	Democratic	Jordan Grossman	2,385	22
	Democratic	Kishan Putta	1,100	10
	Democratic	John Fanning	695	6
	Democratic	Yilin (Ellen) Zhang	473	4
	Democratic	Jack Evans	376	3
	Democratic	Daniel Hernandez	129	2
		Write-in	8	0

2020 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 2, Democratic Special Election[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brooke Pinto	4,554	43
	Democratic	Patrick Kennedy	2,159	20
	Democratic	Jordan Grossman	1,563	15
	Democratic	Kishan Putta	895	8
	Republican	Katherine Venice	549	5
	Democratic	John Fanning	488	5
	Democratic	Yilin (Ellen) Zhang	382	4
		Write-in	82	1

References

1. "Brooke Pinto". Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved July 6, 2020. Brooke Pinto was sworn in as Ward 2’s Councilmember on June 27th, 2020 after winning the Special Election to fill the vacant seat.
2. Zauzner, Julie (June 16, 2020). "Brooke Pinto leads the vote count in Ward 2 special election". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
3. Julie Zauzner (June 17, 2020). "Brooke Pinto wins Ward 2 D.C. Council race to serve the rest of this year". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
4. Ryals, Mitch; Cohen, Rachel M. (June 11, 2020). "How Did Brooke Pinto Win the Ward 2 Council Primary?". Washington City Paper. Washington D.C. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
5. Beermann, Judith (June 4, 2020). "Congratulations, Brooke Pinto!". Georgetown Dish. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
6. Nirappil, Fenit (February 13, 2020). "Jack Evans draws seventh opponent in D.C. Council comeback bid: Brooke Pinto". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
7. O'Connell, Michael (May 26, 2020). "Candidate Profile: Brooke Pinto For Ward 2 Seat On DC Council". Retrieved May 26, 2020.
8. Nirappil, Fenit (June 16, 2020). "Brooke Pinto prevails in Ward 2 D.C. Council race, succeeds scandal-tainted Jack Evans". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
9. Nirappil, Fenit (June 30, 2020). "How 28-year-old Brooke Pinto became D.C.'s youngest-ever council member". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
10. Rachel Kurzius; Martin Austermuhle; Andrew Giambrone; Colleen Grablick (May 19, 2020). "DCision 2020:Your Primary Voting Guide During The Pandemic". WAMU. Washington D.C. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
11. "Endorsements". brookepintoforward2.com. June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
12. "The Post's 2020 endorsements for the D.C. Council". Washington, D.C. April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
13. "Certified Results". dcboe.org. June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
14. "List of Candidates In the November 3, 2020 General Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
15. "Special Election 2020 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. June 27, 2020.
16. Austermuhle, Martin (June 6, 2020). "Political Newcomer Brooke Pinto Wins Tight Ward 2 Primary Race". DCist. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.

Council of the District of Columbia
Preceded by Jack Evans	Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 2 2020–present	Incumbent